Good Luck to our Australian teams at this regatta – Sienna Brown / Ellis Merrett and Ben Hinks / Fallon Katz
The 2026 470 Junior World Championship will take place in Gdynia, Poland, from 11 to 17 July 2026 as part of Gdynia Sailing Days, the largest sailing festival in the Baltic region and Northern Europe.
Gdynia has become a favourite venue for the 470 class, having hosted the 470 Junior European Championship in 2023 and the Senior World Championship in the previous year. The same waters will host the world’s best sailors competing for qualification to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at the 2027 Sailing World Championships.
This year, 55 teams from 18 countries will race for the junior world title. The entry list includes crews from Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Germany has entered seven crews, Great Britain five, while Poland and Türkiye will each be represented by four teams.
The opening days of the championship, 11–12 July, are dedicated to registration and equipment measurement, followed by the Opening Ceremony on 13 July. Racing begins with the Qualifying Series on 13–14 July, followed by the Final Series on 15–16 July. The championship will conclude on 17 July with the Medal Series and Last Race, which will be broadcast live.
Defending junior world champions Roy Levy and Ariel Gal will return to defend their title. They expressed confidence and excitement about competing in such a strong fleet.
Also on the starting line will be the 2025 silver medallists from France, Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel, who are eager to claim gold after two years as Junior World Vice Champions. Bronze medallists from Italy, Livia Ciampinelli and Nicola Brunotti, will also aim to improve on their previous performances.
Several young sailors have already shown they can compete successfully at the senior level, including the French crew Sarah Jannin and Isaac Benamo, who finished 14th at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía. Norway’s Julia Jacobsen and Victor Lööf placed 16th at the Senior European Championship, while Italy will also bring strong teams looking to make their mark.
With many of the world’s best junior sailors on the starting line and excellent sailing conditions on the Baltic Sea, the 2026 470 Junior World Championship promises a week of exciting racing in one of the class’s favourite venues.
#470olympicsailing #470JuniorWorlds #GdyniaSailingDays
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