2021 European WASZP Games - Preview
by Marc Ablett 10 Aug 2021 07:18 PDT
11-15 August 2021
Cover of European Championships © WASZP Class
The 2021 WASZP European Games sees a return to international competition for the popular one-design foiler. With two years passing since we last made the pilgrimage to Lake Garda the WASZP mecca, it is time to re-unite and take flight!
With almost 90 boats on the start line this is going to be an amazing event, 18 nations will be represented, with some new countries being stung by the WASZP since we last were able to compete. This number is made even more impressive by two of our major fleets in GBR and Norway being impacted by restrictions right up until the event start on the 11th of August. With 40% of the 2019 European Games being made up of these two countries as well as the last minute venue change to Garda show the strength of the class and we are keen to see the extent of this once we have our freedom to travel back again.
Event organiser and Class Manager Martin Evans has done a stellar job to organise such a large scale event, that also manages to tick all the boxes that make the WASZP Class special. Glamour locations for foiling, fantastic social scene and high quality racing are all major parts of the WASZP DNA.
As is a feature of the WASZP Class globally, there will be many races within the race to decide the category champions. There is a spread of sailors right across the range from Youth to Master as well as an incredibly talented group of female sailors who make up around 20-25% of the fleet, some of whom are fresh off the SailGP INSPIRE Racing circuit such as Hattie Rogers and some who are looking to make their mark in the Norwegian pairing of Nora Doksrod and Mathilde Roberstad. There are also proven campaigners in other classes such as Margherita Porro from Italy and Olivia Mckay from New Zealand, all will be a threat to the overall title.
Others who will be in the mix for the overall championship include some new kids on the block looking to challenge the old guard. Some incredible talent is arising out of the UK following with Matt Beck currently leading the overall WASZP Global Rankings from Sam Whaley. Norwegian Alexander Hogheim has been a proven top 3 performer since early 2019 and will be looking to stamp his authority on the fleet. Charles Cullen from Ireland had a solid performance in Foiling Week, while Tamas Szamody from Hungary has proven he can win races.
There are many more who may challenge over five action packed days of racing in the foiling Mecca of Circola Vela Arco, Lake Garda. But one thing is for sure, the WASZP spirit is alive and well. There will be other competitions running in conjunction with the championship including a GPS competition for competitors on-site as well as those who cannot make it, through our GPS platform. We also want to thank our partners Sailmon who will be on-site all week, offer advice and demos on their industry leading GPS unit the Sailmon MAX, make sure you check it out. WASZP is also running a social media competition, encouraging competitors to tag their best photos and videos with #waszpeuros21 and the winning entry receives a full refund on their entry fee.
This is a huge steppingstone back towards normality and we can expect the large fleets to continue as we look towards the 2022 International WASZP Games in Malcesine Lake Garda July 9-16th.
Stay tuned for all the action!
Progressive results link here...