My Olympic Journey

Shinichi Uchida is a Snipe sailor and Fleet Captain in Japan. He is also a World Sailing International Race Officer (IRO) and was part of the Race Management Team in Marseille 2024. Here his impressions on the Olympic games.

Congratulations on Okada-san and Yoshioka-san Olympic Silver Medal. And thanks to everyone who participated in the sailing competition. I imagined how hard it is to get a quality and compete in any class.  Regarding the race results, they may have their own opinions as the athletes, but I think all of them are wonderful. Thank you very much for your hard work.

The attached photo was given at the official dinner hosted by WS. (I didn’t even know there was!). There are about 200 IROs in the world, and 15 of them were invited here.

I am aware that it was a fortunate coincidence of race, gender, and other political factors, but it was a great happy experience in my life.

I’d like to talk a little bit about this experience, I don’t think I alone could get tickets as an Olympic race management officer. First, I want to thank my family. And if I had not met Bill and Shelly, my sailing life would have been different. I met them at a regatta in the U.S. about 25 years ago. I had a strong complex and a speech impediment, but they told me, “It’s okay, you can expand your world.“   They always had my back and gave me the courage to get over it. Thank you, Bill and Shelly!

 I come to Marseille to represent the many wonderful people I have met in sailing, especially those I have worked with in TOKYO 2020. I would not be here if I had gotten into big trouble or if one of my missions had not gone well. I am also indebted to many other people who have allowed me to continue competing, and there are too many people to mention. When I think about it this way, I realize that I have been shaped by every encounter I have had with people. It is still a distant goal, but, if possible, I would like to become someone who can positively influence others, just as everyone I have been involved with has done.

The Olympics is certainly a wonderful place, and I think it is good to aim for it in management, jury, and technical. On the other hand, there are political games and interests, and the human relationships are complicated. It is important to listen to your inner voice and continue sailing the way you want to, even if you must take a break in the middle of the day, and to maintain the mindset of a sailor even if you cannot go to the sea and sailing. I sincerely hope that as many people as possible will continue to participate in this wonderful sport.

See you again,

Shinichi Uchida