You are right, I don't know what the current IOC thinking is however, in 2004 or 2005 the Laser was IOC's model for the future of Olympic sailing. Since then they have made the Laser Radial the women's single hand dinghy.

The reasons are complicated and I don't understand the politics enough to explain it. It seems to spiral out from the fact that the IOC doesn't like equipment issues. It make the poor but, full voting members, feel they don't have a chance.

Also there is the IOC emphasis on the athlete (young and photogenic). Equipment sports tend to favor the older, more experienced, obsessive, etc. The more variation permitted in the equipment, the more it tends to favor the older, more experienced, obsessive, etc.