FACTBOX - Sailing at the Beijing Olympics

Factbox on sailing at the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics:

HISTORY

Sailing as a sport can be traced back to the Netherlands in the 17th century. It was introduced to England by King Charles II around 1660 and spread to the American colonies.

The first known international competition was the Hundred Guineas Cup which was held in 1851 off southern England. It became known as the America's Cup after the first winning boat, America.

Sailing first featured in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris when there were three classes of boat. It made its next Olympic appearance in 1908 and has featured in every Games since, with the classes changing to reflect developments in boat construction and a trend for smaller crews. Until 2000, the sport was known as yachting.

Windsurfing joined the Olympic programme at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Women have always been able to compete in Olympic sailing with men but separate women's events were introduced in 1984.

EVENTS

Eleven events: