Road for kites to LA28 begins in Italy

The 2025 Formula Kite World Championships on September 30-October 5 will gather Olympic kiteboarding athletes in Cagliari, Italy. In this first major milestone on the road to the Los Angeles Games, the men’s fleet has 64 entrants while the women’s fleet has 31 entrants. Defending their World Championship titles will be Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder and France’s Lauriane Nolot.

Maeder, the Olympic bronze medalist, will face fierce competition from Slovenia’s Toni Vodišek, silver medalist at Paris 2024 and former World Champion in Cagliari three years ago. Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, 2024 European Champion in Urla, Turkey, is also among the frontrunners. However, reigning Olympic champion Valentin Bontus will miss the event due to injury.

On the women’s side, in addition to Nolot – a frequent victor in the winds of the Gulf of Angels – all eyes are on Britain’s Ellie Aldridge, the first ever crowned Olympic champion. This rematch of Paris 2024, where Nolot claimed silver, will be a highlight of the event. Also competing are Argentina’s U21 World Champion Maria Catalina Turienzo, European Youth Champion Derin Atakan, and European Championship finalists Lily Young (UK) and Lysa Caval (France).

The North American contingent has Emily Bugeja and Nathan Pearce from Canada and Daniela Moroz, Adam Keaton, and Noah Runciman from the USA.

Details: https://www.kiteclasses.org/2025worlds

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program:
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

Dates: July 16-28