The Australian Sailing Team and Squad will compete this week at the 2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open Championships, hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, featuring a mix of Olympic experience and emerging talent. With strong fleet numbers in all ILCA classes and the typical challenging Tasmanian conditions, the championships serve as an important early-season test and showcase the depth of Australian sailing talent.
Tokyo Olympian and reigning 2025 ILCA 6 National Champion Mara Stransky is excited to return to domestic racing and reconnect with younger sailors. She expressed, “It’s great to be lining up in the domestic fleet again. We’re lucky to have strong numbers again this year and it’s always exciting to check back in with the next generation after their year of training. The forecast is looking pretty glamour and the venue can be quite tricky, so it should be a great week of racing.”
Two-time ILCA7 Olympic gold medallist Matt Wearn emphasised the significance of this championship in strengthening Australia’s ILCA pathway and providing valuable racing opportunities. He stated, “It’s always nice to come and race in the domestic fleet again. It’s a great opportunity to see the up-and-coming sailors across all the fleets who are just starting their ILCA campaigns. It’s looking like a light week ahead, but I’m sure that can change quickly down here. Flat water and shifty conditions are definitely on the cards.”
Australian Sailing Team ILCA6 National Coach Mikael Lundh noted that the level of ILCA6 competition nationally is rising, with this event also serving as a selection opportunity for rankings toward the World Championships in Ireland. He mentioned, “For the squad sailors, there’s added pressure with strong young sailors coming through and international competitors in the fleet. We’ll be looking closely at performance behaviours and how well athletes execute the elements we’ve been working on in preparation.”
The Championships will take place from the 3rd to 8th of January, featuring youth, Olympic athletes and Masters sailors racing together, showcasing the strength and depth of Australian ILCA sailing across generations.
Results throughout the week can be found here: https://sailingresults.net/?ID=82266
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