Where: Sailing Marina, Rushcutters Bay with racing on Sydney Harbour.

When: Sept. 16-30.

Medals
There are 11 sailing events incorporating nine classes of boats: 49er, 470, Europe, Finn, Laser, Mistral, Soling, Star and Tornado.

Outlook
Sailing will perhaps have the most spectacular setting of any sport at the Olympics, with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge providing backdrops to the competition on Sydney Harbour.

The 49er, a high-performance skiff that was designed in Australia, makes its Olympics debut.

American sailors attempt to make up for their embarrassing performance in their home waters at Savannah, Ga., in 1996, when they won only two bronze medals. The American with the strongest chance for a gold medal is 44-year-old Mark Reynolds of San Diego, who heads into his fourth Olympics after winning the Star class world championship. He won the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 and the silver in Seoul in 1988, but is coming off a disappointing eighth in 1996.

Nine gold medalists return, including Soling skipper Jochen Schumann, who's won three gold medals dating to 1976, and Brazil's Torben Grael, the tactician for Italy in the recent America's Cup.

Rod Davis, who will represent New Zealand in the Soling, has won Olympic medals for the United States and New Zealand, and has sailed for the United States, New Zealand and Australia in the America's Cup. He was Italy's coach in the recent America's Cup.

How it works
Olympic sailing is a grueling competition that features at least 10 races per class. It spans from September 17-30 and will take place on Sydney Harbour.

There are three classes for men: Mistral or sailboard, Finn and 470, and three for women: Mistral, Europe and 470. There also are five mixed classes: Soling, Star, Laser, Tornado and 49er.

Competitors are assessed points for their finish in each race and, like golf, boats with the lowest overall score at the end of the competition wins. The only exception is in Soling, in which the top six boats in the preliminary standings advance to match-racing.

Sailing classes

• The Mistral is a 12-foot, 2-inch fiberglass windsurfer weighing 34.2 pounds and topped by a 7.4 square meter sail.
• The Finn class uses a centerboard dinghy and a one-man crew. It is 14-feet, 9-inches and weighs 278 pounds.
• The 470 is a two-person fiberglass craft that is 15 feet, 6 inches long. It uses a centerboard dinghy and a trapeze and weighs 264 pounds.
• The Europe is a single-handed dinghy, 11 feet long and weighing 99 pounds.
• The Laser is 13 feet, 11 inches and weighs 130 pounds. The sail covers 76 square feet.
• The Tornado is a two-man catamaran. The vessel is 20 feet long and has a sail area of 235 square feet.
• The Star is a 22-foot, 8-inch shallow keelboat with a 285-square-foot sail. It weighs 1,490 pounds and has a two-person crew.
• The Soling is a three-man keelboat. It is 26 feet, 11 inches long and weighs 2,282 pounds.