2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open Championships set to begin
by Lisa Darmanin / Australian Sailing Team 2 Jan 16:03 PST
3-8 January 2026
ILCA 6 Squad © Beau Outteridge / Australian Sailing Team
The Australian Sailing Team and Squad will line up this week at the 2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open Championships, hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, with a strong mix of Olympic experience and emerging talent set to contest one of the most important domestic events of the year.
With strong fleet numbers across all ILCA classes and typically challenging Tasmanian conditions, the championships provide a valuable early-season test and an opportunity to showcase the depth of Australian sailing talent.
Tokyo Olympian and reigning 2025 ILCA 6 National Champion Mara Stransky is relishing the chance to return to domestic racing and reconnect with the next generation of sailors.
"It's great to be lining up in the domestic fleet again," Stransky said. "We're lucky to have strong numbers again this year and it's always exciting to check back in with the next generation coming through after their year of training.
The forecast is looking pretty glamour and the venue can be quite tricky, so it should be a great week of racing."
Two-time ILCA7 Olympic gold medallist Matt Wearn also highlighted the importance of the championships in strengthening Australia's ILCA pathway and providing meaningful racing opportunities across the fleet.
"It's always nice to come and race in the domestic fleet again," Wearn said. "It's a great opportunity to see the up-and-coming sailors across all the fleets who are just starting their ILCA campaigns.
It's looking like a light week ahead, but I'm sure that can change quickly down here. Flat water and shifty conditions are definitely on the cards."
Australian Sailing Team ILCA6 National Coach Mikael Lundh shared, "The level of ILCA6 competition nationally continues to lift, with this being a selection event for ranking toward the World Championships in Ireland, athletes know they're on notice.
He continued, "For the squad sailors, there's added pressure with strong young sailors coming through and international competitors in the fleet. We'll be looking closely at performance behaviours and how well athletes execute the elements we've been working on in preparation."
The Championships wil run from the 3rd to 8th of January and will see youth, Olympic athletes and Masters sailors line up side by side, highlighting the strength and depth of Australian ILCA sailing across all generations.
Results throughout the week can be found at sailingresults.net/?ID=82266