ILCA Under 21 World Championships 2026 in Lanzarote - Opening Ceremony
by Lanzarote Sailing Center 19 Jan 03:15 PST
19-24 January 2026
ILCA Under 21 World Championships opening ceremony © Jacobo Bastos
Marina Rubicón, located in the south of the island of Lanzarote, Spain, will host from Monday 19 January until 24 January the ILCA Under 21 World Championships, one of the major events on the international youth sailing calendar and a competition that once again positions Lanzarote as a leading venue for Olympic sailing.
The championship brings together 148 sailors from 36 countries, confirming both the high sporting level and the international scope of the event. The fleet is divided into two categories: ILCA 7 (men), with 96 sailors from 33 countries, and ILCA 6 (women), featuring 52 competitors from 23 nations.
The ILCA Under 21 World Championships boast a top-level entry. In the ILCA 7 fleet, Israeli sailors Reem Pulci Magen and Omer Vered Vilenchik are among the main contenders for the title, alongside Mark Hestbæck (Denmark) and Filip Olszewski (Poland), both top-ten finishers at the last Under 21 World Championships. Italy's Alessandro Cirinei, the reigning ILCA 6 Youth World Champion, and Josip Tafra (Croatia), the current Youth World vice-champion, are also sailors to watch.
In the ILCA 6 women's fleet, the level of competition is once again extremely high, with standout sailors such as Ginevra Caracciolo (Italy), the reigning Under 21 European champion; Isabella Mendoza Cabezas (USA); Hermione Ghicas (Greece), the current Youth World Champion; and Spain's Marga Perelló and Adriana Castro, all of whom finished inside the top ten at the previous edition of the championship. They will be joined by Irene de Tomás (Spain), crowned 2025 Youth World Champion last 20 December, who arrives in Lanzarote as one of the leading medal contenders.
The racing programme features a total of six days of racing. Following the registration, equipment inspection and opening ceremony held Saturday and Sunday, competition will take place from Monday 19 January through Saturday 24 January, with a scheduled programme of two races per day, starting at 12:00 local time, for a maximum of 12 races.
The event is organised by Marina Rubicón and is sponsored by the Cabildo of Lanzarote, through the Island Sports Service; SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote, through its sports tourism brand Lanzarote Sports Destination; the Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism of the Cabildo of Lanzarote; the Town Council of Yaiza; and Tourism of the Canary Islands, with the collaboration, among others, of the Canary Islands Sailing Federation, DinghyCoach and the Latin Sailing federations.