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144:, together with her husband Robert in 1994, and met with representatives from the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Martinique, and Trinidad & Tobago. During her tenure, the Optimist class became the largest worldwide, with 87 countries as national members, and 57 countries participating in international events.
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In 2005, she was elected president of honour of the IODA. By then, there were 40 manufacturers internationally, building 4,000 Optimist class boats a year. Within twenty years of her taking the helm as president of the IODA, the number of countries participating in the Under-16 Optimist class more
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In 1996, Wilkes was appointed the first president of the Women's
International Match Racing Association. Her mandate was to campaign for the recognition of women's match racing as an Olympic sport. She led an unsuccessful bid to get women's match racing added as an 11th Olympic medal event at the
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In the years that followed, Wilkes moved up the ranks of national and international sailing administration. In 1985, she became vice president of the
International Optimist Dinghy Association, and served as president from 1989 to 1998. As president, she led the IOD95 project to reinstate the
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to
Optimist class dinghies. Other initiatives included providing support for continental championships and Optimist development programs across Asia, Oceania, Africa, and other regions. In the Caribbean, Helen Mary Wilkes attended the St. Thomas International Optimist Regatta (IOR) in the
152:. That year, when she was conferred with Honorary Membership at Howth Yacht Club, Irish Sailing Association President Jack Roy described the impact of her work in the Optimist class as a boost to youth club sailing, the "bedrock of the sport", critical to its future.
118:, which was hosted by the Howth Yacht Club. Despite the fact that the harbour was undergoing redevelopment, the Optimist Worlds brought 130 boats from 26 nations; at the time, it was the most international sailing event to have taken place in Ireland.
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voted against inclusion of women's match racing in the 2000 Olympics, WIMRA had secured an endorsement from the ISF recognising the class as valid, and gained representation on several boards, including the world match-racing committee.
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International participation in the sport increased, and in 2000, it appeared that women's match racing would be included in the 2004 Summer
Olympics. However, women's match racing was not included in the Olympic programme until the
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noted that Wilkes was helping to represent Irish sailing as a member of the international classes committee of the
International Yacht Racing Union (as World Sailing was then known).
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165:, a member of two America's Cup teams, and Hannah Swett, a member of the Mighty Mary all-female America's Cup team, made a series of presentations at an
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Hall of Fame. She is the recipient of the Laura
Rolandi Award of the CofradĂa Europea de Vela. The Helen Mary Wilkes Trophy for Top Girl at the
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Hall of Fame, an honorary member of Howth Yacht Club, and recipient of the Laura
Rolandi Award of the CofradĂa Europea de Vela.
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for over 35 years, she also served as the first president of the Women's
International Match Racing Association (WIMRA).
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is an international administrator in the sport of sailing from
Ireland. She is best known for her promotion of the
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Wilkes has been awarded the Gold Medal and
President’s Development Award from World Sailing and is member of the
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Wilkes has been involved with World Sailing, the international governing body for sailing, since 1982. In 1995,
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Originally from Scotland, Wilkes and her English husband Robert settled in Ireland in 1969. They are members of
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706:"LA COFRADIA EUROPEA DE LA VELA HACE ENTREGA EN FERROL DE LOS PREMIOS ANUALES "PEDRO REY" Y "LAURA ROLANDI""
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Wilkes started her career in event organisation. She was secretary to the organising committee of the 1981
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than doubled, from 49 to 105. In 2017, Wilkes received a Gold Medal from the ISAF, now known as
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She has been awarded a Gold Medal and President’s Development Award from
680:"Helen Mary Wilkes Awarded Gold Medal for Service by World Sailing"
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Yacht Club, near Dublin. Both their sons have sailed for Ireland.
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588:"2016 Olympics- Womens Match racing moves on after ISAF Decision"
320:"World Sailing award Gold Medal to Helen Mary Wilkes - HYC.ie"
292:"The Optimist Dinghy's Good News Story Sails Into Dublin Bay"
266:"World Sailing's Gold Medal for Ireland's Helen Mary Wilkes"
741:. International Optimist Dinghy Association. 30 August 2017
686:. International Optimist Dinghy Association. 29 March 2017
383:"Optimist Class Gets Record Fleet for Nationals at Howth"
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2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 1996, Wilkes, together with
500:"Helen Mary Wilkes conferred with Honorary Membership"
223:Since 2017, the cup for the Top Girl at the annual
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533:"New match-racing group seeks equality for women"
442:"History of the International Optimist Regatta"
227:has been called the Helen Mary Wilkes Trophy.
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540:. Rhode Island, United States. pp. E-04
356:"ISAF President Development Award presented"
477:. International Optimist Dinghy Association
169:meeting in Brighton, England. Although the
16:Scottish-Irish sailing sports administrator
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77:International Optimist Dinghy Association
62:International Optimist Dinghy Association
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79:(IODA). An active committee member of
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167:International Sailing Federation
821:Sportspeople from County Dublin
811:Scottish female sailors (sport)
655:"President's Development Award"
171:International Olympic Committee
264:Nixon, W. M. (28 March 2017).
216:. She is also a member of the
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796:Irish female sailors (sport)
381:Nixon, W M (4 August 2022).
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225:Optimist World Championship
116:Optimist World Championship
92:Optimist World Championship
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735:"2017 AGM Meeting Summary"
567:. Vol. 39, no. 3
561:"Wanted: Women's Regattas"
559:Reed, Dave (April 2000).
218:Irish Sailing Association
88:Irish Sailing Association
806:Scottish sailors (sport)
713:CofradĂa Europea de Vela
417:Scuttlebutt Sailing News
208:Helen Mary Wilkes Trophy
130:An Optimist class dinghy
801:Female sailors (sport)
791:Optimist class sailors
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200:Awards and recognition
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776:Irish sailors (sport)
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180:2012 Games in London
156:Women's match racing
137:one-design principle
94:is named after her.
75:as president of the
54:Sports administrator
471:"Members of Honour"
538:Providence Journal
362:. 15 November 2008
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59:Organization
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760:Categories
592:Sail-World
360:Sail-World
231:References
163:Dawn Riley
51:Occupation
35:1941-12-07
684:Optiworld
630:310052021
475:Optiworld
457:Issuu.com
296:afloat.ie
745:5 August
719:5 August
690:5 August
664:5 August
641:ProQuest
635:4 August
626:ProQuest
597:4 August
571:4 August
544:4 August
510:5 August
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451:5 August
422:4 August
392:4 August
366:3 August
275:2 August
45:Scotland
329:17 July
301:17 July
715:. 2019
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324:hyc.ie
110:Career
709:(PDF)
104:Howth
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