I'm stumped a bit--you know the saying, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Is there something wrong with the Tornado?
Pros
-fastest of the Olympic boats
-open to men and women
-established international class
-fastest of the sailboats (dunno about the mistral)
-new rig rules should keep it "current" for several olympiads to come
-one-design; not a "formula" design
-did I mention it's the fastest of the olympic sailboats?
-best spectator potential/best TV potential
-really, really fast
Cons
-expensive to buy, maintain, and develop
BUT essentially all the olympic classes are expensive to run, from bobsleds to the Finn. There's no way the Tornado costs more to campaign than the Star!
Exactly.
most of the costs are travel anyway, which is the same for each 2 person boat.