We take a look at how to follow the sailing events at the 2016 Rio Olympics

For the 380 sailing athletes competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a medal symbolises more than their skills; it is a reflection of the single-minded, obsessive nature that is required to embrace a lifestyle that has sport at its centre, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for years, sometimes decades at a stretch.

The racing conditions in Rio can be unpredictable, so we can expect the sailing competition at the Rio Olympics to have numerous twists and turns. In this guide, we look at how to follow the action and explain how the scores are totted up.

World Sailings dedicated Olympic website

Watch on TV

In the UK BBC will be covering all of the Olympic events, mostly on BBC One and BBC Four with live coverage switching to BBC Two during the News only. Additional events will be available through the Red Button.

The four hour time difference between the UK and Brazil will mean that many events will not air on UK TV until after midnight, as a result BBC Breakfast will become an Olympic catch-up show during the Games and BBC Two will replay previous night’s coverage every morning.

While all of the sailing events will be happening in the evening UK time they will not necessarily be shown live on TV at that time.

Watch Online

BBC are also running 24 live channels via the BBC Sport website and the BBC Red Button while BBC iplayer will show the ‘Olympic Playlist’, a daily Rio 2016 highlights package featuring the best late-night action.

Download the BBC Sport App to your phone or tablet where you can watch the Games live and receive updates straight to your phone.

Listen on Radio

Radio 5 live will be covering the Games over radio

How Olympic sailing works

There are six different types of boat across the 10 events. Competitors sail against each other in an initial opening series of 10 or 12 races, accruing points after each race equivalent to where they finish (eg. one point for coming first).

Crews then discard their worst race score, and the 10 boats with the lowest totals progress to the medal race, in which double points are awarded and added to the overall scores.

Day by Day sailing timetable (times are BST)

Monday, 8 August

Tuesday, 9 August

Wednesday, 10 August

Thursday, 11 August

Friday 12 August

Saturday 13 August

Sunday 14 August

The first medals in sailing are handed out from 17:05, when the men’s windsurfing medal race begins. The women’s event follows an hour later.

Monday 15 August

Laser and laser radial classes reach their medal races today



Tuesday 16 August

Medal Races today in the Finn and Nacra 17 classes along with the postponed Laser and Laser Radial medal races.

Wednesday 17 August

470 class reaches its medal races (men and women) from 17:00.

Day 13: Thursday 18 August

Medal races for the 49er and 49er FX classes begin at 17:00.