Just one year after its inaugural edition, the Inclusive Sailing World Championship will once again bring together the international para sailing community in Portimão, Portugal, this October. The event, organized by World Sailing, was created with an ambition that goes beyond competition: to create a space where athletes with different disabilities can come together, sailing different boats and competing at different stages of their sporting development. At the same venue, various classes and disciplines will share the spotlight alongside coaches, classifiers, race officials, volunteers, national authorities, class associations and organizers, creating an environment where competition also means sharing experiences, knowledge and opportunities.
The second edition already reflects the growth of the initiative. With registration open until August 31, the championship has received 110 entries from 34 nations, representing more than 170 competitors. Several fleets have already reached the minimum number of participants required to award world championship titles, while new disciplines continue to generate interest. Hansa 303, RS Venture Connect, 2.4mR and Vision Impairment Fleet Racing will return alongside emerging classes such as Para Inclusive WingFoil and Challenger Trimaran, in an event that also incorporates development programs and new opportunities to expand international participation.
A championship bringing together different ways of experiencing sailing
World Sailing’s approach seeks to ensure that inclusion is not limited to having different categories of athletes competing at the same event. The championship was designed as a platform where sailors with different disabilities can share the same sporting environment, regardless of the boat they use or the stage of development they have reached. This coexistence allows the competition to become a meeting point for learning from different experiences and demonstrating that para sailing can be built around a much broader diversity of disciplines, abilities and sporting journeys.
That diversity is also reflected in the growth of the classes. The Challenger Trimaran is one of the clearest examples: the fleet has already surpassed the minimum number of participants required to be recognized as a championship and is attracting interest from countries such as South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. Alongside it, Para Inclusive WingFoil, a more recent initiative, continues to attract international attention, while seated WingFoiling will be presented as a demonstration event. The discipline will offer an opportunity to see how a relatively new format can create space for sailors with disabilities and how innovation can expand the possibilities within the sport.
International development to open new opportunities
The championship will also provide a platform for the Inclusive Development Programme (IDP) of World Sailing, which will once again welcome sailors, coaches and officials from emerging nations. Through training, classification education and knowledge sharing, the program seeks to ensure that international participation does not depend solely on a nation’s immediate ability to send athletes to a competition. The goal is to build the tools and expertise needed to develop local structures and create sustainable pathways toward high-level competition in para sailing.
Along the same lines, the partnership with the America’s Cup continues to provide funding for eligible emerging nations. The support aims to reduce some of the barriers that can prevent new participants from reaching the international stage and gradually expand the competitive community. For Hannah Stodel, Para World Sailing Director, the growth of the second edition — with new nations, classes and opportunities — reflects the idea behind the championship from the beginning: not simply to create another regatta, but a space where athletes, coaches, officials, classifiers and volunteers can come together and help shape the future of inclusive sailing.
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