Jeff Johnson, a key figure in the sailing world, is featured in an exclusive interview with Zig Sailing Insider.
With his extensive experience as a two-time Olympic race official, Johnson provides valuable insights into the nuances of Olympic sailing from the vantage point of a Race Officer.
Jeff Johnson - Paris 2024 International Race Officer
The best of the best
TCO: Congratulations on being asked to join the race committee for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. You were also a Race Official at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. The Olympic Games are the ultimate achievement for any Race Official!
JJ: Definitely, being an official at the Olympic Games is an incredible achievement for any race official. Funny story—before my first Olympics in Tokyo, I experienced what I call “imposter syndrome.” During my college years as a sailor at the University of Texas, I often sailed with Paul Foerster, one of only two US sailors to compete in four Olympics and win three medals, including two golds. And through working at the San Diego Yacht Club, I met Olympians like JJ Fetter, Mark Reynolds, Andrew Campbell, Graham Biehl, and Molly Vandemoer—people I deeply admire and respect for all their skills. In Tokyo, I found myself thinking, “Wow, this is their level and I’m officiating at their level! How can I possibly be at their level?”
This thinking made me stop and reflect on what it truly means to be an Olympian. I got really caught up in my thoughts, but after the Games, I realized that being recognized for having a high level of skill is something to embrace. It’s actually easier to accept and move forward than to deny it and question your abilities or how you got there. I’ve learned that the definition of an Olympian is a valuable perspective to apply to all aspects of life.
since athletes are pushing their limits on the race-course, it's essential for me to bring the same level of energy and dedication as a Race Officer.
TCO: Jeff, I’ve worked with and assisted the race committee that you oversaw at San Diego Yacht Club and know firsthand what an incredible job you do as a PRO and Race Official, but how do you get to the Olympics? What are the requirements to be an Official at the Olympic Games?
JJ: That’s an interesting question. As a race manager at the San Diego Yacht Club, they have been very supportive of my involvement in national-level race management. I completed the US Sailing race management courses to earn my club, then regional, and finally my national race officer certification. To achieve the necessary certifications, hands-on experience at different national, continental, and world championships is required. The San Diego Yacht Club hosted some of these regattas and encouraged me to pursue other events to achieve my International Race Officer (IRO) certification. I traveled to Florida for the IRO Seminar, passed the exam, and continued to attend events involving international level competition.
The first major international qualifier regatta I ran was the Finn Olympic Trials in Newport Beach. Since then, I’ve spent over a decade working at high-profile events like the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta and various class World Championships and Youth World Championships around the world. Each international event is a chance to connect with IROs and International Jury members from around the globe.
Being an IRO requires dedication, hard work, humility, teamwork, thorough rules study, and a commitment to continuous improvement. I believe that since athletes are pushing their limits on the race-course, it’s essential for me to bring the same level of energy and dedication to my role as a Race Officer.
TCO: What preparations does an IRO undertake before an Olympic-level event?
JJ: One of the first things that we preach almost from the beginning of training is to investigate the class rules. Each class has a dedicated group of competitors, and the class associations are continually striving to enhance the boats to keep them exciting and relevant. Classes look to see how they can modify the rig or the way the boats are sailed and even consider changes to the competition format.
The most recent example of that is the IQ foils. The IQ’s have multiple types of racing, including a marathon course, a slalom course, and then regular windward/leeward courses. They also have specific
rules as to how they conduct their medal races. The IQ Foil class is at the forefront of how a class can define its own competitive formats through its specific class rules.
A Race Official looking to specialize in a class should open up the class rules, see what they consist of, make sure they are up to date and then go out on the water to run a race. After time you will start to get to know the coaches and the athletes in that class. You start to develop an intuitive feel for how the boats start and perform on the course, so the goal is that nothing will really surprise you. Once you build a name and a relationship with the fleet, you become more approachable by the coaches and the competitors, you are not as surprised as to what they do, and you can even give feedback and become involved in how they sculpt their rules when it comes to competition.
TCO: What class of boats do you “specialize” in?
JJ: Um well, I like the fast boats! Way back in the day, I ran the multihull Tornado Olympic Trials for US Sailing, and I really enjoyed that experience. In Tokyo, I was assigned to the Nacra course. At last year’s Olympic test event, I particularly enjoyed running the foiling kiteboards. The competitors were all so nice and professional. They race fast, the courses usually lasting only about 12 minutes. They are just amazing to watch!
For many years I ran the 49ers in Miami, so I am very familiar with how they set up and race around the course. I was just doing a seminar the other day and I shared a photo I took in Miami a few years back. It shows the 49ers setting up for the start. It’s always mind-boggling to see how, at 3 minutes before the start, all the 49ers line up on the start line and sit! After 2 minutes, they gradually drift back to less than a meter behind the start line then sheet in and accelerate at the start signal.
TCO: With the upcoming Games in Marseille, do you know which class of boats that you will be assigned to?
JJ: I will be on the Nacra and 49er course. I will be an International Technical Official (ITO) on the pin boat for the 49er class and the Nacra circle. The plan is for the 49ers to race for 6 days. Then there is a rest day. Then the same Race Committee will run 6 days of racing for the Nacra circle. As the ITO for that course, I will oversee the French Race Committee on the Pin end Start line boat for both classes.
I think right now I have landed in a really great spot. I am super familiar and comfortable with both the Nacra’s and the 49ers. When choosing Race Officials for the Olympics, it is important to involve individuals who are familiar with a specific class and have an international background with these boats.
Tokyo 2020 vs. Paris 2024
TCO: Is this the same position you had in Tokyo?
JJ: In Tokyo, I was also an ITO. My job was to oversee the start and finish teams of the Nacra circle. One significant difference between the Paris and Tokyo Games is that, in Tokyo all the fleets were run basically at the same time. In Tokyo, there were 6 race courses, with fleets rotating through various locations with morning or afternoon start times, operating like one big well-oiled machine. In France, only 4 race committees will be on the water at one time, and the fleets are divided into two groups of 5. The first group will race during the 1st week of the Games, and the second group will race the 2nd week of the Games.
TCO: Why the change in the structure of racing?
JJ: One reason for the change is to reduce the number of people and resources required.
Additionally, it’s expected to enhance commentary, as the commentators will focus on just 5 classes at a time instead of 10. This shift should allow for more in-depth reporting and storytelling to capturing more viewers’ interests. Also, the new format gives viewers the opportunity to see a broader range of competition in each session. I’m personally excited about the new lineup and the improved coverage it promises.
TCO: Do you know the other Officials that you will be working with in France? Have you worked with them at other venues?
JJ: At the Paris Olympics (in Marseille) I will know some of them, but not all of them. I have been fortunate to build strong relationships with Race Officials from various countries over the years. Additionally, I will have the opportunity to work alongside two other US International Race Officiers, Becky Ashburn and Lynn Lynch, as well as a few more US Jury Officials. Just the other day, I was explaining how diverse the international crowd is that you work with at a major event like the Olympics.
TCO: After the 2020 Games in Tokyo were there any takeaways that you think will help you be better prepared for the 2024 Games?
JJ: Well, COVID really sucked! However, there were a few silver linings. Our movement was highly restricted, so at the venue, we either had to eat the meals provided for all the Officials, Judges, and Race Officials in one room, or return to the hotel and order Uber Eats. Even then, we couldn’t leave the hotel. As a result, I ended up having many meals in a Tokyo hotel stairwell, but with everyone else. The camaraderie was amazing, and we had the chance to spend a lot of time together. The sense of togetherness was truly exceptional.
You are all here because you are highly qualified and supremely capable, so take a deep breath and do what you know how to do.
-Tom Duggan, PRO 2020 Olympic Games
Looking back, I also think I walked around the Tokyo Games either overwhelmed or scared. I definitely experienced “imposter syndrome,” a psychological struggle where an athlete at a high-level event question their own qualifications and wonders, “Why am I here? I’m not qualified to be here!” This can be very challenging
I will never forget how Tom Duggan, the PRO at the 2020 Games, met with all the Officials before the Games started. He looked around the room and said, “You are all here because you are highly qualified and supremely capable, so take a deep breath and do what you know how to do.” That stuck with me, and I will definitely embrace it more during these Paris Games.
Everyone is there for a good reason, and they are all extremely capable and have great skills.
We need to collaborate with various cultures while adhering to the French Race Committee’s guidelines. However, it’s important not to be afraid to step in and suggest different approaches. At the same time, you need to remain open-minded and observe how they achieve results with solutions you hadn’t considered.
The key is to have confidence and understand how the entire Olympic process works. This is the confidence I have now, which I lacked in 2020.
Some of the Technicalities
TCO: Changing gears a little bit, are you aware if digital officiating will be used at the Paris Games?
JJ: Yes, they will be using digital officiating. In Tokyo, the plan was to have Digital Judges and Digital Race Officials, but due to the COVID delay and lack of funds, alongside the lack of development with the technology, they only had digital jury members. Their job was to review the media stream that was being produced and provide copies of media to support the juries if a protest occurred. In Marseille, they will have also two Digital Race Officials who will be working alongside the Digital Judges. Their job will be to watch the various media streams from TV, race tracking, drones, etc. and support Race Officials and course control issues when required.
One piece of technology that will be missing at these Games, and that everyone is hoping for, is automated start lines with electronic recalls. Each athlete would be instantly notified with a green light (go) or a red light (UFD), and the race rommittee would simply observe. While several companies are close to achieving this, they have not yet reached the level of accuracy required for the Olympics, so this technology will not be part of these Games.
In the future, Digital Officials could play a crucial role not only in maintaining fair competition but also in enhancing safety. For instance, at the test event last year, we lost track of a kiteboarder who had fallen at the top of the course. Due to an unclear communication plan between the signal boat and the finish boat, we didn’t realize they hadn’t finished. In this situation, a Digital Official could have informed us that all boats were finished except for those from XYZ country, whose tracker lost connectivity at the top of the mark. This would have kept the race committee better informed and improved our response in the moment.
Digital officiating has so many positive attributes, and it will definitely improve the sport. I think that it will be a key role as we prepare for LA 2028. US ITO Becky Ashburn will be the first generation of Digital Race Officials at these games and will be influential in developing that role going forward.
TCO: As both an International Race Officer (IRO) and International Technical Official (ITO), what is your role in the protest process?
JJ: In general, when there is a protest against the race committee, the World Sailing Race Officials will be in the room. The Course Representative (CR) from World Sailing is stationed on the signal boat and ultimately in charge of the course. The National Race Officer (a French Race officer actually leading the Race Committee team) could be called as a witness. Or they may call an ITO stationed on the pin boat or finish boat to provide evidence on a start line dispute or at the finish.
I have one quick story on this topic, in Tokyo I had this recurring scenario in my head that I was going to wreck someone’s Olympic dream because I called them OCS. I felt like I was an executioner. The Course Representative on my course, Marina Psychogyiou from Greece, reframed that idea and suggested I think of it as protecting the integrity of everyone else’s start. So, rather than thinking of messing up one person’s Olympic dream, the goal is to protect the Olympic dream for everyone else on the start line. That really helped put things into perspective.
TCO: Since you were an Official at the Tokyo Olympics and will be at the Paris Olympics, are you automatically guaranteed a spot at the Olympic Games in LA?
JJ: No, you are not an automatic candidate for future Games. I do hope to be involved in some capacity at the games in LA, but you never know.
Off the water
TCO: As a Race Official, do you get the opportunity to attend the Opening or Closing Ceremonies?
JJ: We do not this Quad. Paris is about 300 miles from Marseille, and I do not think they are going to suggest that we rush over to watch the ceremonies then rush back. There may be some sort of Opening Ceremony in Marseille for the athletes that will be there. So, that will be our opening celebration for the Games. At our last General Meeting we were shown pictures of a fireworks and drone show in Marseille, so I am hoping that was a practice run for a ceremony that we will see in a couple of weeks.
TCO: Will you have free time get out and explore the Marseille after your official duties?
JJ: I wouldn’t say time is the issue, I would say energy is the issue. Most days start early with Race Official meetings. Then the sailing teams will be on the water between 0900 and 1100. Racing will typically last until 1800-1900. After racing, you then return to docks, debrief, check for jury actions or competitor asking to review videos from start or finish. You might have hearings, and you hope you might make it home by 9:30pm. At that point, you have been hot, tired, and dehydrated all day. You really just want to grab some food and sleep. You can burn the candle at both ends for a day or two, but after 5-6 days of that, you will be run dry. This is a 14-day regatta for race committee. Your ultimate responsibility is to be sharp and aware and energetic for the athletes during the day. That is what drives our time schedules. There may be days that you have clean racing, and you get away earlier, or there might be a day that racing is cancelled. In that case, there will most definitely be someone who arranges for a group to get together and enjoy the free time!
TCO: As a wrap-up, what are you most looking forward to in this Olympic Games?
JJ: I am really looking forward to working with the French RC Team Alpha, the global camaraderie, and seeing the 49er and Nacra teams thrive for a well contested #Paris2024Sailing Games!
Jeff, thank you for the time, I know that you are jumping on a plane tomorrow and have a lot to get done to before you leave. Best of luck to you and all the US athletes! I look forward to catching up when you get back and hearing all the stories!
-Ty Christopher Olsen, July 20, 2024
