World Sailing is inviting bids to host the next World Sailing Championships, hot on the heels of the outstanding success of the 2023 edition in The Hague.
The seventh World Sailing Championships – to be held between the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games – will now bring a new opportunity for potential event hosts to bid for a split event.
In a move aimed at opening up the World Sailing Championships to more Member National Authorities and more cities/regions, potential hosts can bid for one of two sessions of the event.
The first World Sailing Championships were first held in Cadiz in 2003 and have been staged in every Olympic cycle since. As well as being an amazing event in their own right, they are also the main qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games.
The 2023 edition in The Netherlands attracted around 1200 athletes from 80 countries this summer and they were watched by a global broadcast audience of millions. This year’s event was also the first edition to include Para events.
David Graham, World Sailing Chief Executive Officer, said: “World Sailing is committed to growing the sport on every continent. The seventh edition will be the first time the event has been offered to two hosts, and that creates an opportunity for more of our Member National Authorities to host sailing’s greatest championships.
“The World Sailing Championships are unique. Only the very best in the world will be there, and no other event in sailing combines all of our Olympic classes with four Para events. The medals are shared equally between men and women and, because of the greater athlete numbers, the level of competition is higher than it is for the Olympic Games.
“As we saw with the 2023 event in The Hague, hosting the World Sailing Championships creates a superb platform to promote a city or region to a global audience while also providing a Member National Authority with an unmatched opportunity to develop sailing in their country.”
Further details on hosting the seventh Sailing World Championships can be obtained by downloading the bid document from the World Sailing website or by emailing bid@sailing.org.
The deadline for expressions of interest to host the seventh Sailing World Championships is 30 November, 2023 with final bids required by 30 March, 2024. A final decision will be made by the World Sailing Board in May 2024.
