THE FOILING WORLD GATHERS IN GENOA, ITS CAPITAL, FOR THE THIRD WORLD FOILING CONGRESS AND THE FOILING AWARDS CEREMONY
The global foiling industry will gather on March 17th and 18th in its capital, Genoa, for the third edition of the World Foiling Congress, the international summit where the protagonists of the foiling ecosystem meet to discuss technologies, applications, and regulation of a rapidly evolving sector.
Presented by Ropner Insurance, the Congress returns to Magazzini del Cotone with an extended two-day format, strengthening its role as a reference point for professionals involved in the development of new sustainable and high-performance aquatic mobility solutions.
Organized by The Foiling Organization, this year’s edition will feature 10 specialized panels and over 30 leading experts from industry, engineering and design firms, research institutions, and regulatory bodies. Discussions will focus on the state of the art of foiling, emerging professional applications, and certification frameworks designed to foster safe and scalable adoption across many sectors.
Since 2024, the Congress has continued to serve as a platform for international coordination, contributing to the definition of shared guidelines and industry standards in ongoing dialogue with the main global regulatory and classification organizations.
The opening address, “Gitana 18: a new era in offshore sailing,” will be given by French skipper Charles Caudrelier, winner of the 2022 Route du Rhum aboard the foiling trimaran Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Gitana 17) with a record time of 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes, and 25 seconds. With the support of Pierre Tissier, technical director of Team Gitana, Caudrelier will analyze the technological and design innovations redefining the new generation of offshore foiling yachts. Gitana 18 is also among the nominees in the “Sailing or Motor Prototypes” category of the Foiling Awards, which will be held later that evening.
On Tuesday evening, Congress delegates, along with winners, partners, journalists, and guests, will attend the awards ceremony of the event that since 2016 has celebrated the year’s most significant foiling athletes, projects, products, and events. Alongside the thirteen competing categories and the Forlanini Award for the “winner of winners,” the 2026 edition will feature the Future Impact Award for the first time. Awarded by a jury of international sailing and nautical journalists, the award will go to the one among the 104 nominees from the 9th edition that most clearly expresses the future direction of foiling: the project, person, event, or technology most capable of influencing the coming years thanks to its potential for dissemination, impact, scalability, and sustainability.
Industry professionals interested in attending the Congress can submit their application by completing the form available at the following address: https://pci.jotform.com/form/260362553825357
The 2026 World Foiling Congress is made possible thanks to the support of: ROPNER | REGIONE LIGURIA | LA MIA LIGURIA | PORTO ANTICO DI GENOVA | CARIBONI | GARMIN | GOTTIFREDI MAFFIOLI | PERSICO MARINE | HPI VERIFICATION SERVICES | CARPE DIEM YACHT DESIGN | HEINEMANN YACHT ASSESSMENT | CONFINDUSTRIA NAUTICA | EBI – EUROPEAN BOATING INDUSTRY | ICOMIA.
