Racing started following a three-day Inclusive Development Programme organised by World Sailing, which served as a key preparatory phase for sailors, coaches, and race officials. The opening day featured intense competition across four internationally recognised classes: the one-person Hansa 303 and two-person RS Venture Connect, plus ILCA 6s for intellectually impaired athletes, and FarEast 28Rs for visually impaired athletes.
The opening day of the competition showcased the remarkable skill and competitive spirit of the sailors, with strong performances across every fleet. Early race results set the tone for an exciting championship: In the RS Venture Connect class, Team Norway-1, featuring sailors Henriette Smith and Solfrid Lindhjem Kvinnesland took an early lead at the top of the leaderboard. They were followed by Piotr Cichocki and Olga Gornas-Grudzien from Poland-1 in second place, while Team Norway-2, represented by Stian Kristiansen and Elliot Finnestrand, secured third in a promising start to their campaign.
In the Hansa 303 class, British sailor Rory McKinna delivered a standout performance to claim first place, with Takumi Niwa from Japan finishing close behind in second. Portuguese sailor Joao Pinto secured third after a steady and consistent showing throughout the day.
The ILCA 6 category saw Murray MacDonald of Great Britain dominate the fleet to finish first, while Man Hong Leung from Hong Kong, China took second, and teammate Tsz Hin Heung completed the podium in third.
Meanwhile, in the FarEast 28R division for visually impaired sailors it was an all British top three. Lucy Hodges leads from Karl Haines in second and Vicki Sheen in third after a series of tightly contested races.
American sailor Dylan Young, representing Seattle, Washington, and competing in the Hansa 303 class, praised the championship, describing it as “a world-class event in every sense.” He commended the exceptional organisation, professional atmosphere, and the high-quality services provided to athletes. “The facilities are remarkably accessible and well-prepared, making the experience smooth and comfortable from the moment we arrived,” he added.
About the World Sailing Inclusion Championships
The vision for the World Sailing Inclusion Championships is to create a truly global, high-performance event that places sailors with a disability at its core. It is designed to celebrate ability over limitation, providing an elite racing platform where sailors who classify as Para, and those that are a part of our wider Para Inclusive community can compete with purpose, visibility, and equity.
By integrating inclusive formats and equipment, the Championships aim to break down barriers, challenge perceptions, and set a new standard for what world-class accessible sport looks like – all while supporting the long-term goal of sailing’s reinstatement in the Paralympic Games.
Read more about the World Sailing Inclusion Championships here.
