The 55-year-old Brazilian, a double Olympic champion with partner Marcelo Ferreira, was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2015 Annual Conference in Sanya in China.

He has now received his trophy, which was presented by World Sailing Vice President Gary Jobson, as well as a unique blue logo pennant which only inductees receive.

Grael, who is nicknamed "Turbine" is one of Brazil's most famous Olympians and won his first gold medal in the star class at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

He followed this up with another Olympic title in the same discipline in Athens in 2004, and won five medals in all at the Games with a silver and two bronzes also in his collection.

He was runner-up in the soling class at Los Angeles 1984 and claimed star bronze at both Seoul 1988 and Sydney 2000, meaning he won medals at five editions of the Olympics.

His successes in Los Angeles and Athens means there was 20-years between his first and last Olympic medals, while he is one of only three people to have won five medals in sailing.

He was named as the Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2009 and won both the Volvo Ocean Race and Louis Vuitton Cup during his glittering career.

World Sailing makes additions to its Hall of Fame every four years, with the next inductees due to be named in 2019.

Dennis Connor, Alessandra Sensini, Harold Vanderbilt, Sir Peter Blake, Buddy Melges and Valentin Mankin  were added along with Grael in China.