Neo495 hoping for Olympic Selection for 2016 and 2020 Games

London 2012 may still be a year away but thoughts are already turning to Rio 2016 with the three boats under review to be the two-person keelboat equipment in Brazil.

The selection process began in the 2011 IFDS World Championships in Weymouth and Portland from June 28 to July 8. The three boats - Skud18, Neo495 and Artemis20 were available afloat all week for the sailors, coaches, instructors and officials of the International Association for Disabled Sailing, the IFDS to "test"..

COUNTRIES IN COMPETITION:

AUSTRALIA: The Skud 18, one behind the other team members, designed with the spirit of the Olympic 49er class, is the current Paralympic support for two, having made its debut in Beijing in 2008.

ENGLAND : The Artemis 20, one behind the other team members, is a six-meter keelboat with the design of a boat in the America Cup, safe and easy to manage.

FRANCE : The Néo495 is a keelboat of 4.95 m long and the crew are sitting next to each other, allowing able-bodied and disabled people to sail side by side.

The Néo495 came out of the boat-buider Coques en Stock in 2005. The Néo495 was designed by Alain Inzelrac, incorporating accessibility in the design of the keelboat, accessible to as many people with disabilities.

Since 2005, the Néo495 made its way. Today 26 Néo495 sailing in France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and overseas. The Neo495 Class Association, recognized by the French Sailing Federation in 2008, the Class Néo495 is very active, organizes annual national cup Néo495, the first of Port Camargue (2007 & 2008), in Arcachon (2009) and Cherbourg (2010).

In 2011, the Class will hold its first Néo495 4 Nations Tournament with three races: two 4 nations Cup in France, Switzerland, the National was organized in June by the Brussels Royal Yacht Club in Belgium. The Class Néo495 has already attracted our angloxansons friends, through its Ambassador Monique Foster, will be at the National RYA Sailability Regatta MULTICLASS 2011, from 11 to 15 August at Rudland, a first for Neo495.

From August 22 to 28, the country holding the Cup America's Cup, the Neo495 4 Nations Cup will be hosted by Progress Sailing and Swiss Sailing Disabled in collaboration with the Yacht Club Prangins, the Port of Abériaux Prangins Switzerland 20km from Geneva Geneva on the blue Leman Lake.

The Keelboat candidates will meet the main criteria for choosing the IFDS boat double: Safe, unsinkable, stable, accessible to larger numbers of sailors with disabilities equal and valid, efficient both in the breeze that light wind. It must meet the criteria of economy, ease of transport. The Néo495, strong 6 years of experience, meets all these requirements.
The 2012 deadline will be punctuated by competing test with the series.
Before the decision, the Class Neo495 must return evaluation forms completed by experienced sailors.
The decision will be unveiled at the annual meeting of the IFDS in November 2012, after the Olympics in 2012 at the request of the International Paralympic Committee, IPC.