Cagliari to host 2024 iQfoil Open European Championship

Cagliari, Sardinia, is set to welcome 120 of the world’s best windsurfers for the 2024 iQFOiL Open European Senior Championship, taking place from Saturday, October 5th to Friday, October 11th, 2024 in Poetto, the renowned windusrfing spot of the Island, organized by FIV, the Italian Sailing Federation, FIV Sardinia and Windsurfing Club Cagliari with the iQFOiL Class. This will be the first senior competition since the iQFOiL made its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, held in July and August in Marseille. Among the competitors is bronze medalist Luuc Van Opzeeland, the only sailor from both Olympic podiums who will be competing in Cagliari. For everybody this event will represent the first step of their Olympic campaign, many younger sailors will also take part, eager to prove their worth as they begin the four-year cycle, all here to qualify their nations — and ultimately themselves — for the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

“We are very excited to come to beautiful Poetto beach and to be part of this great event the FIV  is running!”, commented Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, Class Manager. “This is a remarkable and historical windsurfing location, which shaped top Italian windsurfers, such as Marta Magetti, Gold Medalist in Paris. Our senior fleets are thrilled to race after the Games, so let’s see who comes on top at this very first event of the ‘new’ Olympic cycle!”.

“As coordinator of the Sardinia Sailing Cup, I am really happy to have the iQFOiL European Championship”, said Mirco Babini. “It is the discipline where the local Marta Maggetti won gold at the last Olympics in Paris 2024. having this important event here in Cagliari has a lot of meaning and fits in very well in the month of international sailing events that is taking place in the wonderful Gulf of Poetto, big thanks to the Italian Sailing Federation and the support of the “Regione Sardegna” and the local clubs”.

Format Overview
The competition will as usual feature a variety of race formats, the goal is to have the fleets compete in all of them:

Slalom, with athletes rounding marks downwind, and the wind ranging anywhere between 5-15 knots.
Course racing, with classic windward/leeward races, and the pressure going from 9 knots and above.
Marathon, a long-distance challenge with a rabbit start, where the entire fleet (divided into women’s and men’s categories) will race together across an extended course.

The event is structured in two phases. It begins with the Qualifying Series, which runs until the day before the last one. Athletes will compete in the Women and Men fleets; they will be divided into heats just for the Slalom format as it allows fleet no bigger than 24 at times. The top 10 performers will then advance in the Medal Series on Friday October 11th, a knockout-style competition where the best athletes compete for the European Championship title. The leader of the Qualifying Series will advance directly to the final, the second and third ranked sailor move to the semifinal, while athletes ranked fourth to tenth will face off in a quarterfinal. The top two from the quarterfinal will move on to the semifinal, and the top two from there will join the leader in the final winner-takes-all race.

Federico Alan Pilloni, a talented Sardinian windsurfer and member of the Young Azzurra team from Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, is one of the emerging athletes to watch. Excited to compete on home waters, Pilloni shared his thoughts ahead of the event:
"I feel ready to compete and fortunate to have the opportunity to race in my home waters. The level of the fleet is very high, and it will certainly be a very stimulating competition. I expect a varied regatta with different conditions, and this event represents a fantastic opportunity to challenge myself against the strongest athletes and to have a starting point for the next four-year cycle".

A Top Level Event in a Stunning Location
Cagliari, with its perfect combination of strong winds and stunning coastline, offers an ideal setting for this high-speed, high-stakes competition. The iQFOiL Class, known for its dynamic foiling boards and ability to fly over the water at incredible speeds, will provide an exciting spectacle for both athletes and fans.

With the sport rapidly growing following its Olympic debut, this European Championship promises to be a highlight of the international windsurfing calendar.