US Sailing has selected of two-time 470 Olympic Champion and seven-time World Champion Malcolm Page, of Sydney, Australia, to serve as its director of Olympic Sailing, succeeding former SAIL editor Josh Adams as head of the national team and overall U.S. Olympic sailing effort.

“Malcolm’s experience and expertise make him an ideal choice to lead our team, and build on the progress that was made during the Rio 2016 quadrennium,” said US Sailing president Bruce Burton. “Malcolm has demonstrated an ability to win at the highest level, has been part of a winning system and can bring athletes and coaches together. Our team is on the rise, and with his leadership we will continue that ascent by building scale within our program, both in terms of numbers and in abilities.”

Page, who most recently served as head World Sailing’s media efforts, is one of the most successful Olympic-class sailors in Australian history and a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in recognition of his dominance in the 470 class between 2005 and 2012. During that time he also served as captain of the Australian sailing team.

“I’m very excited to get back into the performance side of the sport, which is where I cut my teeth, and where my passion has always been,” said Page. “I am looking forward to working with an ambitious group of American athletes and helping them realize their dreams. The U.S. sailing team has an extraordinary history in Olympic sailing, with more medals won than any other nation. I know I can play a part in getting the United States back to the top.”

Page takes the reigns of a U.S. Olympic sailing program that has undergone significant changes in recent years, with increased resources directed toward both the national team and at reinvigorating US Sailing’s youth development effort. Guided by the Project Pipeline strategic initiative, US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) was founded in 2015 and has already jumpstarted the performance sailing careers of hundreds of motivated American youth athletes. On the national team level, the US Sailing Team reached the podium in Rio 2016 with Caleb Paine’s bronze medal in the Finn Class, and qualified for six medal races in ten classes.

“The U.S. does not lack for sailing talent, and I have no doubt that we can and will compete with the best,” said Page. “Our challenge lies in finding enough resources and managing them well. I hate losing, and I want to give American athletes the chance to represent their country to the best of their abilities, as I was able to do in my own racing career.”

November 2016