Sailing: Disappointing start for Ainslie at Spa Olympic regatta

At the Spa Olympic regatta in Medemblik, Netherlands, Ben Ainslie, the Olympic silver medallist, had a disappointing opening with two 11th places and one first place in the Laser class. The world No 1 Shirley Robertson compensated for Britain with two firsts and a second in the Europe class.

The 1996 Olympic bronze medallist Courtenay Becker-Dey has returned to the United States after being told not only would she not be skipper for the Swedish EF syndicate in the Whitbread Round the World Race, a job given to Frenchwoman Christine Guillou, but also she would not be a watch leader.