The 13th edition of Foiling Week has wrapped up at Malcesine on Lake Garda, nine days of racing, innovation and industry debate that drew sailors, designers, boat builders, national federations and foiling enthusiasts from across the globe.
Public engagement went well beyond expectations. A renewed partnership between the Regione del Veneto, the Municipality of Malcesine and Destination Verona & Garda Foundation, combined with an expanded Foiling Week Experiences programme, gave residents and visitors direct access to on-water activities, simulators, technical visits and time with athletes and designers.
On the water, the ETF26 competition was the standout spectacle of the second half of the week. Twelve hard-fought races came down to a two-point margin at the top, with France's Entreprises du Morbihan taking its fourth consecutive Foiling Week title ahead of fellow French teams Team Pro and Blueshift Sailing Team, completing an all-French podium.
The Moth fleet delivered the quality of racing the class is known for. Croatian Olympic gold medallist Šime Fantela took overall honours, with Australians Otto Henry and John Harris in second and third. In the women's standings, reigning World Champion Victoria Schultheis of Malta won ahead of France's Paola Amar.
Racing also concluded across the BirdyFish, WingFoil and Starboard X15 fleets. The foiling board disciplines continued their rapid growth, with the third edition of the Foiling Week Downwind Race, developed in collaboration with SFT, drawing a record field. Teodoro Rofrano (Italy) won the Foil Assisted category, Tom Rofrano took Parawing, Marnie Bertram won SUP, and Sergi Sanchez (Spain) claimed WingFoil.
Off the water, the second edition of the Foiling Sport Congress, organised by The Foiling Organization, drew together federations, classes, event organisers and industry stakeholders to debate the sport's direction. One of the more heavily attended sessions was "The Peak of Italian Foiling", moderated by Luca Rizzotti, President of The Foiling Organization, with a panel featuring Ambrogio Beccaria, Francesca Clapcich, Jana Germani, Francesco Pretagostini, Enrico Voltolini and Daniele Savoldi, examining what sits behind Italy's rise in international foiling and what it would take to turn that into sustained global leadership.
"Who Tells the Foiling Story?" drew a similarly strong crowd. Moderated by Viola Devoti and featuring journalist Andy Rice and Ed Russo, Director of Sailing Grand Slam / SOF Hyères, the session tackled media fragmentation and the challenge of growing foiling's global audience. The Foiling Organization used the occasion to announce the Foiling & Sailing Media Meeting, a new international forum for journalists, broadcasters, content creators and rights holders, to be held on 5 October at the 66th Genoa International Boat Show.
Fraglia Vela Malcesine has been the operational partner of Foiling Week since its inaugural edition in 2014. Club president Marco Carletto summed up what the event has become: "Foiling Week is much more than a regatta: it is a meeting point where sport, innovation, boatbuilding and maritime culture come together around a shared vision for the future of foiling."
Around 300 athletes across eight classes made up the competitive field. Carletto confirmed the club's ongoing commitment, saying Fraglia Vela Malcesine "will continue working alongside We Are Foiling and World Sailing to further develop the format, making it even stronger, more attractive and more welcoming each year."
