Nine Australian athletes are set to compete in the 2026 Men’s ILCA7 World Championships in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, where six days of racing will take place on Dublin Bay. Leading the Australian team is double Olympic Champion Matt Wearn.
Wearn arrives in Dublin with high hopes after a stellar 2026 season, having won all three Sailing Grand Slams he participated in. He expressed, “It has been a great year so far, but the Worlds have always been the goal this season. This is the event that everyone wants to win this year, and it would be great to put an exclamation point on my return back to racing for the year with a third World Championship (win).”
The Australian National Squad has been preparing extensively, training on Dublin Bay for a month since June. Wearn noted, “The weather is hard to predict and changes regularly, so I imagine we will have a bit of everything over the six days.”
A distinctive feature of the ILCA7 World Championships is the use of supplied equipment, which alleviates logistical issues for the large fleet of 141 competitors, ensuring that all sailors race on the same equipment. Wearn commented, “Everyone is in equal equipment for the Worlds with the mandatory charter, which have been provided by Element 6 again this year. They do an incredible job producing consistently good boats, so you know everyone is on the same playing field, so to speak. It really puts the athlete in control of the final outcome.”
Wearn will be joined by fellow Australian Sailing Team members Zac Littlewood and Ethan McAullay at the start line. Littlewood, who placed third in the 2025 ILCA7 World Championships, aims to build on that performance and challenge for the top positions again. McAullay is also looking to continue his good form from the 2026 season.
The championships will feature a Preliminary Series followed by an Elimination Series, culminating in the Final Series on 30 August, when the next ILCA7 World Champion will be crowned.
Full list of entries can be found here
Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (AS Squad), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF), State Sailing Performance Program (SSPP) and other Australian (AUS) entries at the ILCA7 World Championships:
ILCA7 (141 entries)
Matt Wearn (AST)
Ethan McAullay (AST)
Zac Littlewood (AST)
Michael Compton (AS Squad)
Lawson McAullay (AS Squad)
Isaac Shotte (AS Squad)
Alexander Bijkerk (SSPP)
Finn Buckley (AUS)
Patrick Scally (AUS)
Lisa Darmanin – Australian Sailing Team Communications & Brand Lead
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