2026 Sardinia Kiteboard Grand Slam in Quartu Sant'Elena - Preview
by Sardinia Grand Slam 20 Sep 04:40 PDT
6-11 October 2026
The spectacular sight of kites on the waters of Quartu Sant'Elena during the 2025 Sardinia Grand Slam © IKA Media / Robert Hajduk
The Sardinia Grand Slam will take place next October 6th-11th, with the Blue Sky beach club in Quartu Sant'Elena (Cagliari) as headquarter. The world champions and other stars of the Olympic kiteboarding discipline are expected to compete.
The children of Olympia (and Aeolus) are back to perform their magic in the Gulf of Angels. From October 6th to11th, the Poetto beach in Quartu Sant'Elena (Cagliari) will once again host the Sardinia Grand Slam, a traditional and highly anticipated event on the international kitefoiling calendar. The competition awards points towards the men's and women's rankings of the Formula Kite, the Olympic kiteboarding discipline looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028.
Now in its tenth edition, the event offers valuable points towards the World Sailing/IKA world rankings. It is organised by GLEsport in technical and sporting collaboration with Chia Wind Club and is held under the aegis of World Sailing, the International Federation for Sailing, and IKA, the International Kiteboarding Association, as well as FIV, the Italian Sailing Federation. The event headquarters will be set up on the beach in front of the Blue Sky beach club.
Tuesday October 6th will be dedicated to participants registration, while racing will take place from October 7th to 11th, mainly from late morning through the afternoon. In accordance with the regulations, the competition will begin with the Opening Series, which may be divided into Qualifying and Finals, before moving on to the Medal Series involving the top ten competitors from the Opening phase.
The top two will go directly into the Grand Final, each carrying one win from the Opening Series. Competitors ranked third to fifth will start from the semifinals, while the remaining five will enter at the quarterfinal stage. Both the quarterfinals and semifinals will be decided in a single race. In the Grand Final, the winner will be the first competitor to secure two wins. The prize money is 10,000 euros.
Among the most eagerly awaited names in the men's field are the two most recent world champions and the current Formula Kite world ranking No. 1 and No. 2: Singapore's Maximilian Maeder, 2026 world champion, and Italy's Riccardo Pianosi from the Marche region, who claimed the world title at the 2025 Sardinia Grand Slam.
Also in contention will be Switzerland's Gian Andrea Stragiotti, who became world runner-up just a few months ago in Viana do Castelo and has recently added the European title to his résumé, as well as Valentin Bontus, the Olympic champion from Paris two years ago and bronze medallist at the most recent World Championships.
In the women's field, France's Lauriane Nolot leads the rankings ahead of the Netherlands' Jessie Kampman. They are, respectively, the 2026 and 2025 world champions. Nolot also added another European title to her collection just a few days ago. Other leading contenders include Britain's Lily Young, Switzerland's Elena Lengwiler — bronze medallist at the World Championships in Viana do Castelo — and multiple world champion Daniela Moroz. Australia's Breiana Whitehead and a rising generation of Chinese athletes will also be ones to watch, led by Wan Li.
Organised by GLEsport in technical and sporting collaboration with Chia Wind Club, the Sardinia Grand Slam is held under the aegis of World Sailing, the International Federation for Sailing, and IKA, the International Kiteboarding Association, as well as FIV, the Italian Sailing Federation. The Sardinia Grand Slam is supported and endorsed by the Italian Minister for Sport and Youth. Promoted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Department of Tourism, Crafts and Commerce, the event also receives the support and patronage of the Municipality of Quartu Sant’Elena. USE is partner of the Sardinia Grand Slam.
www.sardiniagrandslam.com