Fully two years before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Regatta, the qualification stakes open in Aarhus, Denmark today with the first round of racing, as more than 1,200 entries take to the water over the coming 10 days.

The expectations of Ireland’s sailors have been raised by Annalise Murphy’s fourth-place finish at the 2012 Olympics but the Irish Sailing Association’s performance director has described medal hopes at Rio next month as an outside shot.