Scheidt is set to partner compatriot Gabriel Borges at the American city’s Regatta Park, with the high performance skiff presenting the 43-year-old with a different challenge to what he has experienced before.

He is, though, familiar to sailing in two-person fleets, having won Olympic silver and bronze medals in the star.

The Brazilian’s decision to switch from the laser class, where he has won two Olympic gold medals, has been commended by former rival Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus.

"Robert is a sailing legend," the London 2012 laser silver medallist said.

"To have the strength, will, patience, passion and motivation to continue professional Olympic sailing at this age is really admirable.

"49er is completely different from laser so he will need time to adapt but I am sure he will find his way up the ranks."

Argentina's Iago Lange, who will be sailing with his brother Klaus, added: "I think it is great for not only the class but for the sport as a whole.

"If a hero like Robert is showing that he will keep pushing it is a great message for the world of sailing and for the kids who aspire to be in the sport."

Other sailors who will have the opportunity to sail against Scheidt will be Spain's Diego Botin and Iago Lopez Marra, who hold the Miami 49er title, and Austria's Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl, gold medallists at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final in Melbourne.

Having won the inaugural Sailing World Cup Miami 49erFX title in 2013, Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze will be aiming to recapture it in their first major regatta since taking the Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016.

Other Olympians in the fleet are Finland's Noora Ruskola, who is now teaming up with Mikaela Wulff and Nacra17 bronze medallist crew, Tanja Frank and Lorena Abicht of Austria. 

Austria's Nico Delle-Karth is teaming up with fellow skiff sailor Laura Schöfegger in the Nacra17 and they will be joined by Denmark's Christian Peter Lübeck, who will sail with Lin Ea Cenholt.

Lübeck finished fourth at Rio 2016 in the 49er but sailed the Nacra17 throughout 2015.

Delle-Karth on the other hand has only sailed the skiff at major regattas.

Miami is likely to pose a challenge for both with seasoned campaigners like Australia’s Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin and Great Britain’s Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves on the start line.

The biggest name on the start list for the men's RS:X is double Olympic champion Dorian van Rijsselberghe of The Netherlands.

The Rio 2016 gold medallist has five wins in Miami since 2009, including the past two years.

The Olympic champion in the women's RS:X comes in the form of Spain's Marina Alabau Neira, the gold medallist at London 2012. 

Others in the field include Britain’s Emma Wilson, winner at the Youth World Championships in Auckland in New Zealand last month, and two-time world youth champion and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Stefania Elfutina of Russia.

Competitors in the 49er, 49er FX, RS:X, and Nacra17 will have five days of fleet racing from tomorrow until Friday (January 27) with medal races scheduled for Saturday (January 28).

Two time Rolex World Sailor of the Year and Beijing 2008 gold medallist Anna Tunnicliffe of the United States will take on the laser radial fleet.

The last time Tunnicliffe competed at World Cup Miami was in 2013 when she finished second in the 49erFX.

She makes a comeback in a fleet that features 2016 laser radial world champion Alison Young of Britain, London 2012 bronze medallist Evi van Acker of Belgium and 2016 world youth champion Dolores Moreira Fraschini of Uruguay. 

The men's laser fleet also looks strong with the close training group of Rio 2016 silver medallist Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia, 2016 Sailing World Cup Final winner Kontides Cyprus and Ireland's youngest Olympic helmsman Finn Lynch taking on each other.

Other notable names include Germany's Philipp Buhl, winner of multiple Sailing World Cup titles, and Britain's 2015 and 2016 laser world champion Nick Thompson.

Britain's women's 470 teams will look to take over the mantle from Rio 2016 gold medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark.

Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter will take on Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre as they look to replace their outgoing Olympic champions, who are taking on new challenges.

Fourth-placed Rio 2016 pair Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes van Veen of The Netherlands and fifth-placed Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka of Japan will also be aiming to get their Olympic quadrennial off to a good start.

Last month, America's Wiley Rogers and Jack Parkin wrapped up the 2016 youth world title in the 420 with a day to spare in Auckland. 

They now have an opportunity to measure themselves in the 470 fleet against the established American team of Stuart McNay and Dave Hughes in their first competitive outing since becoming world champions.

The Finn fleet is expected to feature last year's World Cup Miami winner Jorge Zarif of Brazil, 2016 World Cup Final winner Jake Lilley of Australia and France's Fabian Pic, who has ambitions of claiming his country's number one spot with Jonathan Lobert taking a break from sailing.

Having won a race at the 2016 Finn Gold Cup in Takapuna in New Zealand in a strong fleet last year, Pic has already shown signs that he is capable of carrying French hopes.

The laser, laser radial, Finn and 470 fleets are scheduled to have six days of fleet racing from tomorrow, culminating in medal races on Saturday.