Open Questions About Open Europeans and Open Major Events in General
84 teams from 14 countries (including 3 from outside Europe) are registered for the 2023 Open European Championship (Gargnano, Lake Garda, Italy August 21-27). These are excellent numbers that come close to the record 2016 edition in Santiago de la Ribera, Spain, with 109 boats.
By Pietro Fantoni
84 teams from 14 countries (including 3 from outside Europe) are registered for the 2023 Open European Championship (Gargnano, Lake Garda, Italy August 21-27).
These are excellent numbers that come close to the record 2016 edition in Santiago de la Ribera, Spain, with 109 boats.
The “Old” Europeans, a “closed event”
Originally the European Championship was a closed event. From 1950-1970, only one team per country could participate, in addition to the winner of the previous edition.
Beginning in 1972, more than one team per country could participate. Depending on the number of SCIRA members, each country was awarded a specific quota. The D.o.G. stated: “Four skippers from any European country in good standing with SCIRA, preferably the National Champion for the current year or his alternates, plus one additional skipper for each 25 boats on which dues have been paid to SCIRA, up to a maximum of twelve skippers.” In addition, there were extra spots reserved for Juniors, Women, and the host country.
The “New” Europeans, an “open event”
In 2012, after a long discussion and exchange of views on SnipeToday and at regattas, the event became open. As I wrote in an article for SnipeToday, just after the conclusion of the 2012 European Championship in Cervia, this was considered a very radical change: “Until recently, the topic was considered a provocation, if not completely taboo.”
Ten years later, it no longer seems radical that the European Championship is a totally Open event: any Class member can participate, with no selection.
My opinion
After four editions, I believe that the Open Championship was a good choice.
Obviously the number of participants depends on various factors: size of the local fleet, geographical location, cost of travel and accommodation, climatic conditions, time of year, adequate promotion by the country, fleet and host club, etc. But we have had much better participation since this change was made.
I also believe that the Open Europeans are good for the visibility of the Snipe Class, especially with non-Snipe sailors. A large class with many large regattas creates a ripple effect. For a sailor (especially not a Snipe sailor), seeing 80 boats participating in a Europeans (compared to a little more than 40 before 2012) may be a good reason to join the fun. Moreover, a regatta with 80 boats will draw more media attention than a 40 boat regatta.
Zibi Rakocy remembers his experience as organizer of the 2014 Open Europeans in Poland: “With a small number of participants, we would not have gotten sponsors, government support, or participation of the media. After the Europeans in Kamien Pomorski, and a lot of press coverage in newspapers, weekly magazines and TV, there was increased awareness of the class in Poland, and better relations with the media and other sailing organizations.”
Snipe Worlds and Western Hemisphere & Asia Championship?
There would surely be a benefit also in making the World Championship and the WH&A open events. However, these events involve the participation of sailors from other continents (not just a few, but a lot) and / or Countries really far away from the host venue, so charter boats must be guaranteed at affordable prices. The organization of boat transportation or the creation of new charter boats, perhaps with the help of some Snipe builders, is a key point for the development of the Class and the organization of international events.
However, I don’t think that this problem prevents us from analyzing the situation and trying to sail on unexplored routes. Looking outside our Class and thinking without preconceptions, many other Classes (e.g. 505, Dragon) hold Open World Championships, with no entry limits.
This may seem like a provocation, but perhaps it would be useful to try in the future (nothing prevents us from modifying a D.o.G. and modifying it again if things don’t work well) to organize an Open Worlds or an Open WH&A, in a country/club/fleet with adequate facilities.
Open Questions
I’d like to know your opinions, and I’d be happy to post your comments or articles on this section of SnipeToday. Here are my questions:
- 1) Are you for or against the Open European Championship?
- 2) Are the Open Europeans a positive for the promotion and visibility of the Snipe Class (especially outside the Snipe class)?
- 3a) Do you think the Open European Championship lowers the “average” level of the fleet (compared to a “closed” event)? If yes, do you believe that it is a reason to go back to a closed championship?
- 3b) Do you think it is necessary to limit the number of competitors for the host of the Europeans? Do you think it could create problems finding an adequate numbers of charter boats?
- 4) Do you think the Open Europeans will cause lower numbers at national level regattas because there are no longer qualifying events in each country for selecting the best team for a “closed” Europeans? Do you think the Open Europeans will lower participation in the regattas at a fleet and local level?
- 5) Do you think an Open event can only be organized by certain countries with adequate facilities, effectively excluding the smaller SCIRA countries or smaller clubs?
- 6) Do you think an Open event can reduce local regattas or fleet activities?
- 7) Do you think an Open event should be the future even for the Senior World Championship and/or the WH&O Championship?
Note: The “Exchange of Views and Reading” section of this website hosts the views of the Snipe Sailors.
This article represents a personal opinion, which may not coincide with the official opinion or view of the Class or other sailors. We deem it useful to discuss (naturally avoiding offensive content) various topics relating to our Class, to allow for an open and democratic discussion, as has always been the case on SnipeToday for more than a decade.
Dear readers, if you want to reply to this article, agreeing, or disagreeing, or proposing different solutions, I will be happy to host you in this section of the site (email to: [email protected])
Pietro Fantoni (SnipeToday Editor).
From Herman Vandormael (Belgium)
Hi Pietro,
Thanks for your article on the history of the Snipe Euro’s and for the opportunity to give some feedback.
Concerning your questions, here are my answers.
1. In favour of an Open Championship
2.Yes
3a. No. Some countries have more good sailors than places
3b.No, for the same reason, for example Spain.
4.No
5.No. An Open event, with more boats, makes it easier to finance
6.No.
7.No. The Senior Worlds are in my opinion the only event that should continue to have a limit.
The main reason for above answers is that, looking at the numbers, the Snipe class is struggling in quite a few countries. In some of the countries with a longstanding Snipe tradition, the class seems to have all but disappeared. In some places the numbers are starting to improve thanks to an active class management. So, apart from the Worlds, any other championship should be promotional and allow a maximum number of teams in order to give them the opportunity to sail against the best.
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5 comments
Luis Soubie
1) Are you for or against the Open European Championship?
I am FOR. I think it was great for the class in Europe
2) Are the Open Europeans a positive for the promotion and visibility of the Snipe Class (especially outside the Snipe class)?
A big YES !
3a) Do you think the Open European Championship lowers the “average” level of the fleet (compared to a “closed” event)? If yes, do you believe that it is a reason to go back to a closed championship?
O course, is math. If only the top 5 of every country have a spot, the level is much better than having 15,20 or +30 from the same country.
3b) Do you think it is necessary to limit the number of competitors for the host of the Europeans? Do you think it could create problems finding an adequate numbers of charter boats?
mmm. Don't think so. I see that in Europe the % of sailors that attend with their own boat is very big.
4) Do you think the Open Europeans will cause lower numbers at national level regattas because there are no longer qualifying events in each country for selecting the best team for a “closed” Europeans? Do you think the Open Europeans will lower participation in the regattas at a fleet and local level?
I don't think so.
5) Do you think an Open event can only be organized by certain countries with adequate facilities, effectively excluding the smaller SCIRA countries or smaller clubs?
I think that some countries are of course in much better conditions to held this events properly. You cannot expect in Helsinki the same success you can expect in Valencia or Garda. But I would not exclude them, but accept that some years the event will be big, and others huge !
6) Do you think an Open event can reduce local regattas or fleet activities?
As said in 4, I don't think so
7) Do you think an Open event should be the future even for the Senior World Championship and/or the WH&O Championship?
I think that getting a charter boat in an open World or WH&A championship will be almost imposible. Depending on the host, about 50% is chartered sometimes. If you allow all the fleet to compete, people of other continents will decrease a lot, and will end like the 505 or dragon, mentioned. The Dragon doesn't have a World. They are all European boats, you need 3 continents for a World. And the 505 open Worlds had 77 boats, 10countries, and half of the fleet was USA or GBR.
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SCIRA Office
The WH&A NS have discussed this as well but the reality of the size of the WH&A with 2 continents + Japan makes transportation of a large scale of charter boats and even boats for competitors extremely difficult and expensive. So America alone is very large and difficult to traverse from ARG/Chile up to Colombia and northern Brazil! Add in Japan to host and you can see the challenges. If the WH&A were to make it 'Open" then drawing the line of priority of very limited charter boats available to first WH&A competitors and then those outside, would be difficult. Because of this, the WH&A Deed of Gift has remained at 5 per country.
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Jose Carlos Alegria Diaz
Thank you for opening a debate.
My opinion:
*Open Europenas have increase the number of boats at the event, but decresed number of boats at nationals those years, as the are not necessary to qualify.
*Having one hemisphere with open championship (Europe and Africa) and the other with closed championship (Western Hemisphere and Asia) is not consistent.
*If you make the Worlds an open event, many countries will not pay SCIRA dues, as the quotas of boats paid will not aply.
I personally prefer Worlds and Hemisphere championships being closed and depending on boats registered per country, leaving qualifying procedures to the National Secretaries. They will be large events anyways.
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José Pérez Morales
Gracias Prieto por darnos la oportunidad de expresarnos.
Estas preguntas a las que he dado mi opinión, deberían llegar a TODOS LOS ASOCIADOS, ya sé que pueden verlo en SnipeToday pero lamentablemente NO LO HACEN y con los medios actuales es fácil y debería enviarse esta encuesta por email directamente a cada uno de los asociados.
• 1) ¿Estás a favor o en contra del Open European Championship?
• Desde luego que NO, creo que debería ser cerrado, pero de forma parecida al mundial que, siendo cerrado, nadie o casi nadie que quiera ir se queda fuera.
Es muy positivo para la organización y para la proyección de LA CLASE que estos campeonatos sean acontecimientos con gran participación, pero también es muy importante que clasificarse para un Campeonato de Europa SEA EN SÍ MISMO UN ÉXITO para quien lo consiga, estaríamos dándole categoría y para los países que tendrían que hacer sus clasificatorios para correr el europeo, estos en cada país tendrían una mayor participación y más facilidad para conseguir financiación externa
• 2) ¿Son los Open Europeans algo positivo para la promoción y visibilidad de la Clase Snipe (especialmente fuera de la Clase Snipe)?
• SI. Pero podemos conseguir la misma participación y más “cache” cerrándolo con condiciones. El sistema clasificatorio tiene que ser tal que facilite nuestro objetivo y desde luego, tendrá que ser distinto en cada país dependiendo fundamentalmente del número de barcos que tenga
• 3a) ¿Crees que el Open European Championship rebaja el nivel “medio” de la flota (frente a un evento “cerrado”)? En caso afirmativo, ¿crees que es un motivo para volver a un campeonato cerrado?
• Sin duda rebaja el nivel medio, pero ese no es el problema ya que el sistema que yo propondría también permitiría correr a tripulaciones con poca experiencia aunque desde luego, tendrían que demostrar en su país gran afición e interés.
• 3b) ¿Crees que es necesario limitar el número de competidores para el anfitrión de los europeos? ¿Crees que podría crear problemas para encontrar un número adecuado de barcos de alquiler?
• No veo que eso sea problema ya que lo que naturalmente ocurrirá es que en países con pocos barcos disponibles, la participación será menor aunque puede ocurrir que proliferen los astilleros o empresas de servicios que como T10 en España faciliten el alquiler de barcos y eso si que promocionara LA CLASE
• 4) ¿Piensas que los Europeos Abiertos provocarán números más bajos en las regatas a nivel nacional porque ya no hay eventos clasificatorios en cada país para seleccionar el mejor equipo para un Europeo “cerrado”? ¿Cree que los Open Europeos bajarán la participación en las regatas a nivel de flota y local?
• Si desde luego y se devalúa mucho el Europeo que antes era un gran acontecimiento el mero hecho de conseguir clasificarse para correrlo
• 5) ¿Crees que un evento abierto solo puede ser organizado por ciertos países con instalaciones adecuadas, excluyendo efectivamente a los países SCIRA más pequeños o a los clubes más pequeños?
• Es cierto, pero no creo que eso sea problema, cada evento será diferente según donde se organice… y no pasa nada. Si un país por su situación o por falta de instalaciones adecuadas no puede albergar 80 barcos en ese evento de acuerdo con la SCIRA y para potenciar la CLASE en el se limita la inscripción… y no pasa nada,
• 6) ¿Crees que un evento Open puede reducir las regatas locales o las actividades de la flota?
• No creo que eso sea un problema
• 7) ¿Crees que un evento abierto debería ser el futuro incluso para el Campeonato Mundial Senior y/o el Campeonato WH&O?,
• De ninguna manera, hay que facilitar la participación como se está haciendo, pero ambos deben ser cerrados. Como digo en otra contestación, seguramente habría que permitir o propiciar que ciertos países tuvieran un sistema clasificatorio más fácil o permisivo o que en ellos, el secretario general para Europa tuviera potestad para poder clasificar por otros méritos a quien creyera conveniente.
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Antonio Bari
• 1) Are you for or against the Open European Championship?
I’m against that the top level championships (Worlds, WE and Europeans) are open. But non European nations could participate.
• 2) Are the Open Europeans a positive for the promotion and visibility of the Snipe Class (especially outside the Snipe class)?
Probably, yes. But I also believe that 80 to 90 boats is the maximum number which can be managed at the best (parkings, single fleet, measurements and so on).
• 3a) Do you think the Open European Championship lowers the “average” level of the fleet (compared to a “closed” event)? If yes, do you believe that it is a reason to go back to a closed championship?
For sure the “average” level is lower, but this isn’t a reason to go back
• 3b) Do you think it is necessary to limit the number of competitors for the host of the Europeans? Do you think it could create problems finding an adequate numbers of charter boats?
This isn’t a problem for the Europeans
• 4) Do you think the Open Europeans will cause lower numbers at national level regattas because there are no longer qualifying events in each country for selecting the best team for a “closed” Europeans? Do you think the Open Europeans will lower participation in the regattas at a fleet and local level?
Yes for national level regattas or qualifying regattas. No effects on local and fleet regattas.
• 5) Do you think an Open event can only be organized by certain countries with adequate facilities, effectively excluding the smaller SCIRA countries or smaller clubs?
No, providing to follow #2 answer.
• 6) Do you think an Open event can reduce local regattas or fleet activities?
No
• 7) Do you think an Open event should be the future even for the Senior World Championship and/or the WH&O Championship?
No. The current system used for the Worlds in my opinion is the best for the three major events.
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