Bringing together foiling community
Published on July 7th, 2025
Held June 30-July 1, the first-ever Foiling Sport Congress – a by-invitation event in Malcesine, Italy – was organized to foster an in-depth discussion on the current state and future developments of foiling across all disciplines.
The Foiling Organization brought together over 50 participants for this inaugural edition, including athletes, professional teams, national federations, non-profits, major foiling events, local promotion agencies, clubs, manufacturers, and service providers.
The 2025 program was designed to address a wide range of strategic topics: alignment of international calendars, joint promotion of foiling, innovation in race technology, safety and equipment, Olympic and professional training pathways, simulation and virtual reality, as well as inclusivity and accessibility.
The Foiling Organization also presented a preview of the Foiling Cup, set to be officially launched at 2025 Metstrade in November. A new foiling multi-class series, dedicated to teams representing yacht clubs, MNAs, organizations, professional teams, — either individually or in collaboration — composed of 5 sailors, with a minimum of 2 women and 2 youth.
Throughout the panels and conversations, many speakers underlined the strategic role a connector like The Foiling Organization could play in supporting and amplifying both individual and collective efforts across the foiling landscape.
“This is a great idea and we need to go forward,” said professional sailor Giulia Conti. “The panels we had these couple of days have been really important to discuss how to move forward. Foiling is the future of our sport and it is important to gather everyone, from athletes to stakeholders to insurances. It is important to have a central organization able to coordinate everything.”
The Congress discussions highlighted opportunities to further strengthen cooperation and alignment within the foiling community. Participants identified several key focus areas, including:
• Enhanced coordination of the global foiling calendar, integrating major events and classes.
• Creation of platforms to support a unified voice across all foiling disciplines (wind, motor, and human-powered).
• Establishment of a dedicated safety working group to systematically analyze injury and incident data.
• Development of a global foiling coaches training program, potentially in collaboration with World Sailing.
• Exploration of tailored insurance products, in partnership with Ropner, to better support professional athletes, classes, and events.
Event program: https://foiling.org/foiling-sport-congress-2025/programme-foiling-sport-congress-2025/
