Naples Hosts Europeo di Wingfoil at Iconic Rotonda Diaz Location

The Gulf of Naples gets its first crack at the IWSA Formula Wing European Championship this week, as the Rotonda Diaz hosts over 100 athletes from 16 nations across four continents for five days of racing that runs April 8-12. Organized by the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia in partnership with the Federazione Italiana Vela and Classe Kiteboarding e Wingsport Italia, the event sits squarely on the sport's Olympic development pathway toward 2032, and carries extra weight as part of Naples' designation as European Capital of Sport 2026.

The opening ceremony fires at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at the Rotonda Diaz, with fleet racing beginning at noon. For a city more accustomed to hosting match racing and offshore regattas at Mergellina, this is an absolute first in the discipline, and the waterfront setting, wide fetch across the Gulf, and spring thermals make it a natural laboratory for high-performance foiling.

The Italian squad arrives in serious shape. Maddalena Spanu, the Sardinian rider who claimed the 2026 world title, heads the women's field. Her brother Nico Spanu, a versatile competitor with deep windsurf credentials, competes alongside her. Alessandro Tomasi, the Lake Garda-trained talent who took the opening leg of the 2026 Worlds, gives Italy a genuine podium threat in the men's fleet. Francesco Cappuzzo rounds out the core azzurri contingent.

Standing between Italy and the top step is France's Mathis Ghio, who has owned this championship for the past four consecutive editions. That streak makes him the clear favorite, but a home crowd, a home water, and a squad that now includes a reigning world champion narrow the margin considerably.

The three names to pin to your watch list before sharing this one: Ghio (4 consecutive European titles), Maddalena Spanu (2026 world champion), and Tomasi (Worlds leg 1 winner in 2026). Naples is the first time all three converge on Italian water in the same fleet.

Beyond the racing, the Federazione Italiana Vela is running a FIV Foil Academy on-site, promoted by Luna Rossa, which signals how deliberately the Italian sailing establishment is channeling the sport's momentum toward the next generation. The loudest local cheer, though, will likely land on 17-year-old Ernesto De Amicis, a student at Naples' Istituto Salesiani, competing in his home gulf with the full weight of the city behind him.