OLYMPIC and Paralympic contenders are gearing up for the country’s biggest ever Sailing competition on Weymouth and Portland waters.

A thousand sailors from 57 nations are expected to descend on the borough for Skandia Sail for Gold 2011, which runs from June 6 to 11.

The regatta is expected to deliver £2million into the local economy through provision of goods and services in support of the event.

Skandia Team GBR manager Stephen Park, known as Sparky, said: “Without a shadow of a doubt it will be the biggest Olympic sailing competition this country has seen in terms of sailing numbers.

“It’s the penultimate event of the sailing World Cup 2011 and we’re expecting over a thousand sailors and 600 boats from 57 nations to take part.

“It’s a huge event and it’s particularly significant because the majority of nations are using it as a qualification process for the pre-Olympic test event in August.”

Just one representative from each nation can compete in each of the 13 Olympic and Paralympic classes at the test event – the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta – and the 2012 home Games, so competition was hotting up within the British team.

Sparky added: “It’s not like athletics where if you hit the qualifying time you can have up to three entries in each event.

“In the Finn classes we currently hold the number one and two world rankings and we have several top teams in 470 men and 49er classes but there’s just one Team GBR slot.

“Just actually getting to the Games is going to be the hard part but it will stand everyone in really good stead for 2012.”

Sparky said the home advantage was moderated by the international teams’ equally unrivalled access to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy but that a team of support staff is working to ensure the British team has the best possible understanding of tide, wind data and other meteorological behaviour.

The biggest names in British sailing: Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy, Andrew Simpson, Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw also took part in the media day at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

Gold medallist Star sailor Andrew, of Sherborne, said there was no secret to his success other than ‘hard work’.