ILCA 7

A small single handed dinghy, the ILCA 7 is one of the most popular boats in the world, due to its broad accessibility and simplicity to set up and sail.

The ILCA 7 is the original rig, with the largest sail area of all variations, and has been used at the Olympic Games since 1996.

Designed by Bruce Kirby (CAN) & Ian Bruce (CAN) in 1969, the Laser has a single mainsail, meaning it is lightweight and fast to sail.

As a one design class, all athletes in the Laser will compete at the Olympic Games with equipment built and supplied by the same manufacturer.

Robert Scheidt (BRA) is the most successful Olympic sailor in the ILCA 7 class. He is one of only three athletes to win five Olympic medals in sailing, and three of these triumphs have been in the ILCA 7 – gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Sydney 2000, and gold at Athens 2004.

Scheidt then switched to the Star class, winning silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at London 2012, but returned to the Laser to campaign for Tokyo 2020. Should he finish on the podium at this year’s Games, Scheidt will become the most decorated Olympic sailor in history.

Sir Ben Ainslie, like Scheidt, has five Olympic medals under his belt, and traded podium positions with the Brazilian at Atlanta 1996, where he took silver, and Sydney 2000, where he won gold, before switching to the Finn class.

Vasilij Žbogar (SLO) also made his name in the Laser class – bronze at Athens 2004 and silver at Beijing 2008 – before going on to enjoy success in the Finn class. Elsewhere, ILCA 7 sailor Pavlos Kontides made history when he became the first athlete from Cyprus to win an Olympic medal (silver, London 2012).