Countdown to Youth Sailing Worlds

Sailing’s stars of tomorrow will take center stage at the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships to be held December 15-19 in Vilamoura, Portugal. The prestigious competition began in 1971, when 16 nations took part, and has since grown to the extent that 413 athletes representing 67 countries will compete in 2025.

Eligibility is open to sailors above the age of 12 years and under the age of 19 years in 2025, with the format as a pathway to the Olympic Games. Eleven events will take place across six classes:

Male Windsurfer – Youth iQFOiL
Female Windsurfer – Youth iQFOiL
Male/Mixed Two Person Dinghy – i420
Female Two Person Dinghy – i420
Male One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Female One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Multihull – Nacra 15
Male Kiteboarding – Formula Kite
Female Kiteboarding – Formula Kite
Male/Mixed Skiff – 29er
Female Skiff – 29er

In advance, a Mixed Youth Team Racing Demonstration Event will be held December 10-11 featuring ILCA 6 athletes facing off in a nation vs nation 2-on-2 format. Spearheaded by the World Sailing Team Racing Committee, the goal is to promote team racing as a global format with potential to be included in future Olympic Games. Ten nations are participating.

The medalists at the Youth Sailing World Championships read almost as a who’s who of those to have gone to achieve great things.

Luis Doreste and Russell Coutts were among the first to do ‘the double’, following up youth success with Olympic gold, while Robert Scheidt backed up his Laser victory at the 1991 Championships with two Olympic and eight senior World Championship golds.

Ben Ainslie, who won Laser gold at this event in 1995, went on to top the Olympic podium on four occasions and the trend has continued into the 21st century, with Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson, along with Nathan Outteridge and Ben Austin, among those who have made a smooth transition to senior podiums after Youth Sailing World Championships victories.

France is the most successful nation in the history of the competition having won a record 76 medals: 28 gold, 30 silver and 18 bronze. They have won the Nations Trophy, introduced in 1991 for the best performing country, on 11 occasions.

Italy has a recent stronghold on the Nations Trophy and are going for their third in a row after retaining their crown on home waters in 2024.

Event information – Race details – Facebook

• Canada team: https://www.sailing.ca/sc_event/2025-youth-sailing-world-championships/
• USA team: https://www.ussailing.org/news/us-sailing-youth-team-set-to-compete-at-the-2025-youth-sailing-world-championships/