Retaining a seat at the wingfoiling table

World Sailing has partnered with the Global Wingsports Association (GWA) and the International Wing Sports Association (IWSA) to support the development of the fast growing sailing discipline wingfoiling. Riders in this genre have a foiling board and a handheld wingsail.

Under a new governance structure for the sport, and eager to retain a seat at these tables, the world governing body for the sport of sailing will endorse two Wingfoil world tours to cater to the fast-growing wingfoiling community and provide the best platform for sailors across the globe.

• An Expression World Tour delivered by the GWA under the name GWA Wingfoil World Tour which will crown World Champions based on subjective judging for the ‘expression’ disciplines including Wave, Freestyle, Big Air, and Surf Slalom.

• A Racing World Tour delivered by the IWSA which will crown World Champions for the ‘racing’ disciplines, including a title for the Open discipline, where any wingfoil equipment can be used providing a platform for the development of equipment in this fast-growing discipline, and a title for the Formula discipline, which will require the use of registered equipment from affiliated brands, providing a platform for series production equipment.

“The Expression World Tour and the Racing World Tour, with World Sailing in a supervisory role, will bring the sport of wingfoiling together and form a powerful platform to accelerate the interest and growth of Wingfoil amongst the sailing community,” said David Graham, World Sailing CEO.

“This partnership also creates an excellent opportunity to work with brands and the industry on our common goals of sustainability, development and growth, while making advances in safety standards and equipment quality. We look forward to working with the GWA and IWSA, and together we can shape the future of a discipline with incredible potential.”

Wingfoil brands interested in partnering with World Sailing, the GWA Wingfoil World Tour or IWSA Racing World Tour are invited to contact technical@sailing.org for more information and technical specifications.