World Sailing
The Gulf of Gdańsk delivered ideal sailing conditions as Gdynia hosted the second half of World Sailing’s historic split-venue dress rehearsal for the World Sailing Championships.
- Two-person high-performance fleets take centre stage on the Baltic Sea.
- Elite crews from 20 nations raced while officials fine-tuned tracking, race management, and technology.
- Regatta serves as a crucial operational benchmark for the July 2027 World Sailing Championships, the main qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Following the successful one-person events in Fortaleza, Brazil, back in January, the focus of the international sailing community has shifted firmly to Poland. Running from 14-19 July 2026, during the annual LOTTO Gdynia Sailing Days festival, the regatta zeroed in on the tactical, fast-paced world of two-person Olympic sailing: the Men’s and Women’s Skiff (49er and 49erFX).
The Test Event also featured a Men’s and Women’s Wingfoil competition, as an invited event. The EUROSAF Para Inclusive Championship in the Hansa class, the Junior 470 World Championship and Wingfoil expression competition with slalom freefly, were part of the LOTTO Gdynia Sailing Days line up which contributed to the testing of several racing areas during the same week
With a bustling summer crowd lining Gdynia’s famous city beach, the regatta provided a perfect operational test for both race officials and competitors.
Tomasz Holc, President of the Polish Yachting Association (PYA), said: “The Gulf of Gdańsk is showing exactly why it is one of Europe’s premier racing arenas. Working alongside the City of Gdynia and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, our teams are proving that we are well on track to deliver a spectacular World Sailing Championships next summer.”
For World Sailing, the regatta represents the final major puzzle piece in preparing for the new split-venue format engineered for 2027. The event provided the first opportunity to integrate a variety of technology partners alongside a new website with the Olympic Data Feed (ODF), which will be important tools for both organisers and sailors at the World Sailing Championships.
“I want to give great credit to the Polish Yachting Association for their work on the event so far,” said Ferran Muniesa, World Sailing Events Director. “The lessons captured here are invaluable and will help ensure readiness for the main event and leave a lasting legacy for sailing in the region.”
