Bermuda is spearheading a campaign to have women?s keelboat sailing changed from fleet to match racing in the Olympics.

Should this succeed, it could have far-reaching implications for the sport?s growth among women.

The primary reason for such a move, explained president of Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) Tim Patton, is that it would significantly reduce participant expenses thereby opening up competitive sailing to women in many more countries.

?Match racing requires much less by way of equipment for the competitors. Basically they would need a pair of sailing gloves and a bottle of sun block and they could go from event to event and sail in whatever class of boat there is at that location.

?In fleet racing you have got to show up with a boat but not in match racing. So that?s one thing which makes match racing particularly attractive to the smaller sailing nations that are less well-to-do but have (sailing) talent.

?If you can get your talented people on the circuit without having to provide and transport boats for them, then it makes the sport more attractive to a much broader spectrum,? he noted.

Women?s keelboat racing at the Olympics, he disclosed, was originally supposed to take place in a match-racing format with equipment supplied. However, wrangling within the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) ? the sport?s world governing body ? resulted in a fleet-racing proposal being put forward to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with competitors having to finance their own boats.

Patton said Bermuda?s submission, which will be considered at ISAF?s annual general meeting next month in Copenhagen, Denmark, already has strong backing.

?Bermuda is one of the leaders in match racing. Not only do we have some good match racers we are also involved in its administration so it?s a natural thing to come from Bermuda.

?The Island is also very much an apolitical member of ISAF. We have no agenda or axe to grind and we have been approached by some of the bigger nations to spearhead this,? said the BSA?s chief.

?I am confident it?s going to succeed. The challenge is to get enough homework done between now and the ISAF meetings in three weeks? time to get people to understand how much benefit can be derived from this. That?s one of the things I am working on now.?

The Island?s leading female skipper, Paula Lewin, is fully supportive of the initiative, saying it would be less costly to train for the Olympics.

?It?s great that we?re doing this because fleet racing is expensive. If this did work and solutions were found to any issues that it might present then it would be fabulous for our sport,? said the three-time Olympian.

The Island?s submission to ISAF explains that women?s match racing is more ?accessible than Yngling fleet racing because sailors do not need to own a boat to compete?.

?It?s less expensive for sailors to conduct an Olympic campaign in match racing because (race) organisers provide one-design keelboats at match-racing events . . . match racing events have low or no entry fees,? reads the petition.

The BSA also points out that while there are about 50 ranked Olympic Yngling sailors there are more than twice that number of ISAF-ranked women match racers and that six countries with ranked women match racers have no Olympic Yngling sailors.

Member of ISAF?s Match Racing Committee Barbara Farquhar also favours the format switch but could not predict how the vote will go. The submission will require approval from more than half of ISAF?s 43-member council to pass.

?I am very much for it. The women are really for it. Match racing is the fastest growing part of women?s sailing.

?We?ve been very fortunate that the Bermuda Sailing Association has put forth this proposal,? said an enthusiastic Farquhar, now on the Island as an umpire for the King Edward VII Gold Cup.

Should the recommendation get the nod, it is proposed that the rejuvenated Nations Cup be used as an Olympic qualifier.

?In that event there are regional eliminations in match racing and then a final. That would qualify people for the match-racing event at the Olympics,? explained the ISAF official.

Farquhar acknowledged the IOC would have to sanction the format change but ?that?s mostly (a formality)? she said as ISAF has the real authority in this regard.