Amado Vrieswijk and Lina Eržen won the men’s and women’s titles at the IFCA Foil Slalom European Championships 2026, held from 15 to 19 July as part of the California Windsurf Cup St. Peter-Ording. The event brought together 65 athletes from 16 countries at Ordinger Beach, on the North Sea coast of Germany, and distributed €40,000 in prize money, as well as points towards the Professional Windsurfers Association -PWA- world ranking.
Foiling formed the centrepiece of the European Championships, with 45 men and nine women taking part. The discipline uses a hydrofoil beneath the board which, once sufficient speed is reached, lifts the hull above the water and reduces drag. The men completed seven eliminations and the women contested 17 races. The programme also included a Fin Slalom competition for 36 male athletes, using boards fitted with conventional fins that remain in contact with the water.
The IFCA awards the titles and Choppy Water organises the event
The International Funboard Class Association -IFCA- was established in 1985 and is a class member of World Sailing, giving it the authority to award world and continental championship titles. The organisation develops rules and championships for funboard disciplines covering racing, speed and expression. In St. Peter-Ording, the Foil Slalom Europeans formed part of its official calendar and awarded the senior men’s and women’s continental titles.
Choppy Water GmbH handled the local organisation through the California Windsurf Cup, while the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of the Interior provided €120,000 in funding. The opening ceremony was attended by Claus Ruhe Madsen, the regional minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Employment, Technology and Tourism; Boris Pfau, mayor of St. Peter-Ording; and Jan Dirk Tenge, president of the Schleswig-Holstein Sailing Association. The results also counted towards the PWA world ranking.
Vrieswijk and Eržen dominate the Foil Slalom Europeans
Vrieswijk recovered from a crash and a disqualification at the beginning of the championship to win the final four eliminations. Once seven had been completed, competitors were allowed to discard their three worst results. The representative of Bonaire counted four victories and finished on 2.80 points, the best score available under the system. Germany’s Fabi Wolf claimed silver with one victory and three second-place finishes, while Greece’s John Soukos secured bronze in the final race.
Eržen won 14 of the 17 women’s races and claimed the title for Slovenia with 9.80 points. Tuva Oppedal finished second after recording one victory and 13 runner-up finishes, while her sister Helle Oppedal took third with two wins. Denmark’s Christina Larsen and the United States’ Kate Tonge completed the top five in a field of nine competitors.
Fin Slalom keeps the programme running in strong winds
The organisers adapted the schedule when winds reached force six to seven on the Beaufort scale and waves exceeded two metres. Those conditions prevented the use of hydrofoils but allowed two Fin Slalom eliminations to be completed on Saturday and a third on Sunday. Vrieswijk won the first two and had already secured the overall victory before the final race. Vincent Langer won the last elimination and finished second overall, ahead of young Bonaire representative Tycho Smits.
Competition was possible on four of the five scheduled days, although poor weather over the final three reduced expected attendance and at one stage created the possibility of the beach closing because of flood risk. The event village complemented the racing with yoga and skimboarding activities, a children’s area, food outlets, music and an exhibition dedicated to vehicles and outdoor pursuits. The beach remained open and the programme concluded on Sunday with the official ceremony and the presentation of the titles and prizes.
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