a total of over 850 sailors a year. Many of the top world Optimist sailors have become world-class Laser Radial or 4.7 sailors after they "age-out" but many also excel in double-handers such as the 420 and 29er. At the 2020 Olympics at least 75% of the boat skipper medalists were former Optimist world or continental championship sailors. The first World Championship was held in Great Britain in 1962 and it has grown to over 60 countries participating. The changing pattern of the strongest countries can be seen from the results of the Nations Cup. For the first 20 years, the class was dominated by sailors from the Scandinavian countries, with 13 world champions. In the 1990s Argentina was by far the dominant country but, following standardisation of the boat and improved coaching standards internationally, many countries have excelled as shown in the results below. Recently S.E. Asian countries and the United States have produced strong teams. The Optimist World Championships include Team Racing which is increasingly popular. Continental Championships are held on each continent (the Oceanian held jointly with the Asian). Results can be found at. Open Events: With competitive charter boats easily available and low-cost airfares, there are scores of open international regattas. The largest is the Lake Garda Easter Meeting with over 1,000 Optimists participating. Manufacture In recent years, over 2,200 boats a year have been produced by around 30 builders worldwide. Events World Championship See also IceOptimist—iceboat with the Optimist rig Related development El Toro (dinghy) Holdfast Trainer Naples Sabot Sabot (dinghy) US Sabot References External links International Optimist Dinghy Association IODA Results Archive World Sailing List of National Class Associations Vehicles introduced in 1947 1940s sailboat type designs