World Foiling Congress and Awards IX Head to Genoa in March 2026

Genoa earns its reputation as the capital of foiling next week when the third World Foiling Congress and the ninth edition of the Foiling Awards converge on the Italian port city for two days that will shape where the sport goes next. The Congress runs March 17 and 18, with the Foiling Awards IX gala dinner kicking off the proceedings on the evening of March 17.

The Foiling Awards, described by The Foiling Organization as the "Oscars" of the foiling world, span 13 categories and 104 nominees drawn from competitive sailing, boards and water sports, innovation and sustainability, projects, events, education pathways and production boats. The ethos behind them is deliberate: "driven by the international Foiling Community, the Awards celebrate impact over results, giving visibility and recognition to those who truly move the sport forward." Public voting ran from February 1 through February 20, with fans and professionals casting ballots across all 13 categories. Winners will be revealed at an invitational gala dinner gathering award recipients, members of The Foiling Organization, Congress delegates, industry leaders and accredited international media.

One winner from the 104 nominees will receive the Forlanini Award, named after foiling pioneer Enrico Forlanini and functioning as the prize for the prize-winners: the single standout project across the entire field. Alongside it, the 2026 edition introduces a brand-new Future Impact Award, assigned by an international panel of sailing and nautical journalists. Its brief is specific: to recognise "the one among the 104 projects selected for the IX edition that most clearly signals where foiling is heading next, the project, person, event or technology most likely to shape the following years through scalability, adoption and influence."

Among the named nominees generating attention ahead of the gala are the Freucamp Hydrofoil Bike, Aerofoils Hyperfly, Waydoo EVO Pro Plus, Aerofoils Audi e-Tron foil, FLITELab AMPJET, Fliteboard RACE, Appletree Appleslice V4 and Appletree Zapple. Gitana 18 is in the running for the One-Off Sailing or Powered Yacht category, and the Gitana Team will also have a presence in the Congress sessions themselves. Caudrelier will be supported by Pierre Tissier, Technical Director of the Gitana Team, as they examine the technological and design breakthroughs shaping the next generation of offshore foiling yachts.

The World Foiling Congress, now in its third edition and also referenced as the Foiling Global Summit, draws industry leaders, engineers, regulators, designers and research institutions under one roof to work through the issues that matter most to professionals operating across leisure, sport, commercial and naval foiling applications: technology, safety and certification. As the organisers put it, the Congress "confirms its position as a key event for professionals working across leisure, sport, commercial and Naval foiling applications."

The Foiling Awards IX are presented by AMAALA Yacht Club, Ropner, Gottifredi Maffioli, Pindar, Vakaros, World Sailing, Persico Marine, Cariboni and Garmin. Since 2016, the Awards have served as the benchmark for excellence in the sport, and the ninth edition lands at a moment when the field of nominees reflects just how far foiling's reach has extended, from grand prix offshore yachts to electric efoil boards and everything between.