Lawsuit against IODA for rule 3.5.2.6 interpretation

During the Optimist Class World Championship being held in Mar del Plata (ARG) on Dec. 2024 the Technical Committee, guided by Olive Parker, appointed by the International Optimist Dinghy Class Association (“IODA”) pursuant to Article 8 paragraph 1 f) of the Articles of Association of the IODA, prevented several competitors from using masts manufactured and supplied by Giulietti, stating that such masts would have been found to be non-compliant with Class Rule (“CR”) n. 3.5.2.6, without any prior notice having ever been sent to Giulietti from the TC of the IODA.

The Giulietti system consists of two holes drilled through the top of the mast, each of which passes through it from side to side along the horizontal plane.

This solution is completely identical to the one that has always been used on wooden masts since the beginning of the class, and which can still be used today.

Giulietti has been manufacturing such Optimist masts for over 40 years, without any IODA Technical Committee ever claiming that this solution did not comply with this specific rule; a rule that has not been subject to change, in this respect, for many years since now.

The IODA TC considers the Giulietti’s aluminium mast to have 4 holes, whereas the CR 3.5.2.6 provides for 2 holes (or two eyes).

CR 3.5.2.6 is the same for both aluminium and wooden masts.

In fact, a drill in a solid wooden mast would produce a hole allowing the lacing lines to pass safely through it, in order to be lashed through the eyelet at the throat of the sail (as required by CR 3.5.2.6).

If the hole were not through and thus did not have two openings on opposite faces of the mast, it would be impossible for the lacing line to pass through.

In an aluminium mast, a similar drilling process cuts the surface of the profile at two opposite points, creating a single hole that has two openings on opposite sides.

As a result of an ambiguous interpretation of the IODA CR, this surprising, new and sudden unilateral determination of the TC might unnecessarily cause a damage to Giulietti of tens of thousands of euros. To which must be added the costs that both the individual sailors and the national teams using Giulietti's masts have had to incur to have their materials approved for the World Championship but also the ruining of our reputation.

The money collected here will be used by our lawyers to sue IODA and remove any doubts about the regularity of our system