in 1896 sailing was globally recognized as a sport - in that year it entered into the olympic games and has been included every since. in addition to the international competitions, yacht clubs serve as important icons of the sport - with  many yacht clubs all over the world, the first one dates back to 1720, and was called the royal cork yacht club, founded in cork, ireland.

the creation of the international yacht racing union, in 1907, represented another landmark for the sport - this organization has governed all of the international races since 1907 - their role includes dictating rules, and disseminating safety regulations.

it was after the creation of the international yacht racing union that the sport began to flourish - it was the first half of the nineteenth century that the sport became very popular eventually spread to all groups of society - now the  sport is undertaken by millions around the world.