At the 2008 Paralympic Games, the sail racing will take place at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre, approximately 340 miles south east of Beijing, between Monday 8 September and Saturday 13 September.
A total of six gold medals will be awarded across the three sailing classes.
- Sonar – three-person keelboat
- Skud-18 – two-person keelboat
- 2.4mR – one-person keelboat
Sailing first appeared as a Paralympic demonstration sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games before being included as a full Paralympic medal sport at Sydney 2000. The 2.4mR and Sonar were the two classes contested in Australia with 15 entries in the Sonar and 17 in the 2.4mR.
In Athens 2004, the same classes were contested this time the three-person Sonar attracting 15 entries and 16 sailors competing in the one-person 2.4mR.
Beijing 2008 sees the introduction of a third class – the Skud-18 two-person keelboat – and a record 80 athletes sailing in 41 boats from 25 nations will compete in Qingdao (16 boats for 2.4mR, 11 boats for Skud-18, 14 boats for Sonar).
There are slight modifications in equipment in order to suit the athlete's ability. The yachts used in the Paralympics have keels, mainly because this design provides greater stability. These keelboats have open cockpits to allow more room for the sailors
Competition is run under the International Sailing Federations (ISAF) Racing Rules of Sailing, the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Race Management and Classification Manuals.