History made at the World Sailing Inclusion Championships
by RS Sailing 17 Oct 03:12 NZDT
4-10 October 2026
World Sailing Inclusion Championships - RS21 Team GBR celebration © Gonçalo Melo Reis / World Sailing
Forty nations, 222 athletes, the World Sailing Inclusion Championships, 4-10 October 2026, will go down in history as the biggest para inclusive event that's ever been run by World Sailing.
The event offered limitless opportunities for all athletes, with divisions across sailing and wingfoiling, in a week that ranged from strong winds and challenging seas to lighter, tactical conditions. 28 team competed for the Para Inclusive Two Person Keelboat World Title in the RS Venture Connect SCS, and 11 teams are raced in RS21s for the Vision Impairment Keelboat Fleet Racing Worlds.
A dramatic finish in the RS Venture Connect fleet
Sweden's Fia Fjelddahl & Patric Rosenberg entered the final day with a ten-point lead over their nearest rivals, but a 10th place finish in the opening race saw their advantage over Spain's Pau Toni Homar & Ramón Gutiérrez shrink to just two points, meaning it was all or nothing on the final race.
"We knew that we just had to have one boat between us and Spain, and we had one boat between us and Spain," explained Fjelddahl, speaking to Sail-World. "And then, on the last upwind, another boat came in between us. So stressful!"
The decisive moment came when an Austrian boat overtook the Spanish challengers, helping Sweden secure the gold medal on countback: "Suddenly Austria was sailing so fast that they came in front of Spain, and we had the gold!" said Fjelddahl. "Thank you, Austria!"
For Rosenberg, the victory was particularly emotional after the pair had suffered narrow defeats in previous championships: "It was kind of easy until today. Today it was really, really hard," he admitted. "I really wanted this."
Spain's Pau Toni Homar & Ramón Gutiérrez took silver and Norway's Stian Kristiansen & Elliot Finnestrand claimed bronze. See the full results here.
The Brits defend their title in the RS21s
The podium was inevitable for Great Britain's Lucy Hodges, Liam Cattermole, Jamie Tylecote and Steve Tylecote, who lead the standings for the Vision Impairment (With Sighted Crew) Keelboat Fleet Racing World Championship throughout the week in solid defence of their title - with Spain chasing closely behind.
"It's been a lovely regatta, bringing everything - waves, chop, wind and no wind," said Hodges. "It's thrown everything at us all week long, so I feel really proud, and it's good to defend the title again."
The team's winning formula? "I guess it's just clear and concise communication between us, really," explained Jamie Tylecote. "Making sure every instruction and decision is communicated clearly is really important to getting around the racecourse well."
Silver went to Spain's Daniel Anglada Pich, Carmen Lopez Garcia, Jordi Sánchez Pérez and Monica Azon Canalda, and Bronze to Great Britain's Christina Morris, Ben Tylecote, Karl Haines and Colin Midgley in bronze. See the full results here.
"The ultimate goal really was to get more countries involved, and we've done that," added Hodges. "All I want to do is keep growing the number of countries taking part."
The growth of Inclusive Sailing
This second edition of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships was delivered in partnership with Vela Solidária, the Municipality of Portimão and the Portuguese Sailing Federation. The event was also prefixed with World Sailing's Inclusive Development Programme, which helps emerging sailing nations access coaching and international competition, supported in part by funding from the America's Cup.
World Sailing CEO David Graham celebrated the success of the championships and the continued growth of inclusive sailing: "The vision of it is just going to get bigger and stronger. We're testing new disciplines here, and it's been a phenomenal week."
RS Sailing's Head of Commercial, Michiel Geerling, was at the championships: "What. An. Event. It truly showcased the best in competitive sailing and put inclusion right at the heart. From the fantastic PRO and all the race officials, right through to the fully inclusive socials put on by Vela Solidária, this event celebrated the spirit of this incredible sailing community from all corners of the globe. Congratulations to everyone who took part."
RS Sailing were proud to support Para World Sailing with the RS21 and RS Venture Connect charter boats for this event. We're excited for the future of #InclusiveSailing.