With less than 40 days to go to the Opening Ceremony in Athens on 13 August, ISAF is pleased to publish the provisional entry list for nations competing at the 2004 Olympic Sailing Competition on the ISAF Athens 2004 Microsite.

253 teams of one, two or three athletes will congregate in the Agios Kosmas Sailing Centre in a little under four weeks time, when the venue opens for business. Registration is due to start a mere two days later, when the pressure will manifest in every one of the athletes, team managers, coaches, and all number of other team support staff, as well as every single one of the organisers, media teams, journalists, umpires, measurers and spectators. For a whole month, the eyes of the sailing world will be on Athens.

With the majority of athletes now confirmed by National Olympic Committees, a clearer picture of who will be in Athens, and who will be the nations to watch, is emerging, although more athletes are being confirmed as representing their nation every day.

When that picture becomes clearer closer to the start of the event, ISAF will be bringing you an event-by-event preview of all the runners and riders and the nations to watch when sailing kicks off in Athens. This will be published on the ISAF Website

Windsurfing Men and Women – Mistral

The Mistral board has been used as Olympic equipment since the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Sailing Competition in Savannah, with the windsurfing event itself first introduced for men in 1984 and women in 1992. It is represented by both the most nations and the most athletes, with 61 across the two events carrying the hopes of their nations on their shoulders.

Of the 61 athletes, there are 34 men and 27 women. In the men's fleet, 13 athletes have been to an Olympic Sailing Competition before, but this number is set to change as the Gold medallist from 1996 Nikos KAKLAMANAKIS (GRE) has not yet been confirmed by his National Olympic Committee. In the women's fleet eleven have represented their nation at an Olympic Sailing Competition in the past.

The Mistral Class is another that rewards high loyalty and there are no athletes who have switched classes coming into this Olympic Games.

Click here for the full entry list.