The second edition of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships brought together 222 athletes from 40 nations in Portimão, Portugal.
After six days of competition, the championships delivered a fitting finale, with titles decided across a diverse range of Para Inclusive sailing disciplines.
Great Britain’s James Coxon completed a remarkable return to the sport with victory in the Challenger multihull, while Lucy Hodges and her GBR 2 team successfully defended their Vision Impairment title.
World Sailing’s Inclusive Development Programme helped emerging sailing nations access coaching and international competition, and the 2026 World Sailing Inclusion Championships were delivered in partnership with Vela Solidária, the Municipality of Portimão and the Portuguese Sailing Federation, with the support of the America’s Cup.
World Sailing CEO David Graham hailed the success of the championships and the continued growth of inclusive sailing. He also praised the organisers, Vela Solidária, and the volunteers whose efforts helped make the event such a success.
“The vision of it is just going to get bigger and stronger. We’re testing new disciplines here, and it’s been a phenomenal week. These events don’t work without the organising committees, and we’ve had a special one this time.”
Para Inclusive One Person Multi Hull World Championship
1st GBR James COXON 21 pts
2nd GBR Val MILLWARD 31 pts
3rd GBR Bex FOULSHAM 41 pts
Vision Impaired (with sighted crew) Umpired Fleet Racing World Championships
In the RS21
Great Britain’s Lucy Hodges, Jamie Tylecote, Liam Cattermole and Steve Tylecote successfully defended their Vision Impairment title, completing another outstanding performance in the RS21 fleet.
The British quartet led the standings throughout the week, but faced strong competition from Spain and an increasingly competitive international field.
Spain’s Daniel Anglada Pich, Carmen Lopez Garcia, Jordi Sánchez Pérez and Monica Azon Canalda claimed overall silver in the Vision Impairment event, with Christina Morris, Ben Tylecote, Karl Haines and Colin Midgley in bronze.
Para Inclusive One Person Technical Championship
1st FIN 196 Marko DAHLBERG 27 pts
2nd FIN 203 Otto DAHLBERG 43 pts
3rd FIN 201 Rikard BJURSTRÖM 47 pts
The Para Inclusive Two Person Keelboat fleet, sailed in RS Venture Connects, provided most of the drama on the final day.
Sweden’s Fia Fjelddahl and Patric Rosenberg entered the day with a ten-point lead over their nearest rivals, but a tenth-place finish in the opening race saw their advantage over Spain’s Pau Toni Homar and Ramón Gutiérrez shrink to just two points.
With everything riding on the final race, the Swedish pair were forced to watch their title hopes swing back and forth as positions changed around the course. The decisive moment came when an Austrian boat overtook the Spanish challengers, helping Sweden secure the gold medal on countback.
Pau Toni Homar-Ramón Gutiérrez picked up silver for Spain, with Norway’s Stian Kristiansen-Elliot Finnestrand claiming bronze to round off the overall podium spots.
Para Inclusive Two Person Keelboat World Championship
In RS Venture Connects
1st SWE 1 Fia FJELDDAHL and Patric ROSENBERG 37 pts
2nd ESP 1 Pau Toni HOMAR and Ramón GUTIÉRREZ 37 pts
3rd NOR 2 Stian KRISTIANSEN and Elliot FINNESTRAND 48 pts
GBR
13th GBR 3 Kathleen HEALEY and Andrew BARNES 119 pts
Poland’s Piotr Cichocki emerged as one of the outstanding performers of the championships, securing gold in both the Para Inclusive One Person Keelboat (Hansa 303) and also the Inclusive Two Person Keelboat (Hansa 303), alongside his wife Joanna Cichocka.
With next year’s championships heading to their home waters in Gdynia, Poland, the pair are already looking forward to defending their titles.
Para Inclusive One Person Keelboat World Championship
1st POL Piotr CICHOCKI 24 pts
2nd GER Jens KROKER 33 pts
3rd POR João PINTO 40 pts
GBR
5th GBR Rory McKINNA 64 pts
Inclusive Two Person Keelboat Open Championship
1st POL Piotr CICHOCKI and Joanna CICHOCKA 13 pts
2nd POR Carlos SANTOS and João PINTO 38 pts
3rd KOR Mun SUNGWON and Dongjin YUN 39 pts
GBR
5th GBR Rory McKINNA and Chi-Chian WU 47 pts
Para Intellectual Impairment (One Person) World Championship & Inclusive Cognitive Impairment – Test Category
1st POR José CAMPOS 17 pts
2nd HKG Ho Tin LAM 34 pts
3rd POR Rodrigo PEREIRA 38 pts
GBR
4th GBR Murray MACDONALD 58 pts