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©Martini Orsini-We Are Foiling Media
For over 10 years now, foiling technology has continued to revolutionise the sailing world, breathing fresh air into new disciplines and inspiring continuous innovation. Yet what has really made foiling stand out is its game-changing approach to attracting the youngest athletes to its multifaceted disciplines: boards, boats, wings, kites, a plethora of options that have made sailing even 'cooler' and contributed to a generational shift.
©Alessio Tamborini -We Are Foiling Media
©Alessio Tamborini -We Are Foiling Media
Marco Francalancia, Waszp Italy Class President
Malcesine is once again be the capital of the international foiling movement with regattas, conferences, trials, and clinics. In the brief history of foiling, there have been countless experiments and innovations, but what is most impressive, in addition to technological and design progress, is the approach that young people have towards this new way of sailing. Children as young as 7 years old are windsurfing, soaring above the water, with a natural aptitude and in wing foiling there are those who freestyle, amazing audiences with breathtaking acrobatics, performed halfway between the surface and the air.
In the 2024 Foiling Week edition, which coincides with the year in which the World Youth Sailing Championships will be held in Italy for the first time by the Italian Sailing Federation FIV and the Upper Garda sailing clubs (in July), the theme will be #wearefoilingyouth, which will be paired with #foilinggeneration.
Men's short-sleeved crew-neck T-shirt in stretch jersey cotton, light, cool and breathable. The Foiling Week T-shirt, as the name suggests, has Foiling Week prints on the chest, left sleeve and on the back.
Technical, water-repellent, lightweight, practical summer Bermuda shorts for men. The Active Cargo Shorts' seat is reinforced and they dry quickly without wrinkling.
Men's cotton sweatshirt with adjustable hood and large front pouch pocket. The Foiling Week Hoodie has elasticated rib cuffs and bottom hem and Foing Week prints on the chest, left sleeve and on the back.
Foiling Week is one of the most important international events for the Waszp class, which has worked closely with the organisers in order to ensure that the foiling and youth theme would be at the forefront.
There have been pre-Foiling Week events, with the under-21 X-Camp meeting, first exclusively for Italians and then international, with the technical contribution of Ettore Botticini as coach, one of today’s most capable Waszp athletes. Foiling Week itself represents the first regatta in which the smaller sails will finally race (6.9 mq) in their own category, with separate rankings: a further step towards a primarily youth sector.
The youth sector is growing constantly, it is an incredibly popular segment. We have a lot of young people, who come from other boats and decide to try their hand at the Waszp, which is an ideal entry point for approaching the world of foiling, while also being a way to learn how to race a boat on foils and access the next steps in foiling with a certain degree of preparation. To this end, we started investing a few years ago in what is the ideal path for young sailors, supported by the Italian Sailing Federation, by also developing a training sector that creates professional figures dedicated to foiling and to the Waszp specifically. This is so that young people will be able to find coaches and clubs and can organise themselves into competitive teams.
©Alessio Tamborini -We Are Foiling Media
©Martini Orsini-We Are Foiling Media
