Is this the future of Olympic Sailing?

The evolution of boardsailing has progressed through equipment, with each step increasing cost and skill for greater performance. This trend rarely pivots, but did when handheld wings hit the water alongside the quivers of sails and kites.

Not surprisingly, participation has soared as the wing was also safer, easier to set-up, and get on the water. When paired with the foiling board, questions emerge as to whether wings should replace kites as an Olympic event. A first look at that possibility will be in 2025 at inaugural Formula Wing World Championships on September 24-28 in Sardinia, Italy.

Starting with the long-distance races out of a high-speed rabbit start on day one, there’s a shift of focus towards short-course racing on subsequent days until the Golden Ticket long-distance race on the last day, culminating in the knock-out rounds that lead to the medal-deciding four-rider finals.

There’s also 20,000 Euros of prize money up for grabs for the top riders that perform across a range of formats. Game on!

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA