191 sailors from 40 nations gather in Bodrum for ILCA U21 European Championships

by Rana Akkurt / Rüzgar Üstü 10 Oct 11:09 BST 11-16 October 2026

191 sailors from 40 nations gather in Bodrum for ILCA U21 European Championships © Turkish Sailing Federation

The 2026 ILCA Under-21 European Championships and Open European Trophy are under way in Bodrum. Registration and equipment inspection began on Friday 9 October, and many sailors took their first sail on the Aegean that afternoon in sunshine and a steady sea breeze.

191 sailors from 40 nations will race over six days for the European titles in two fleets: ILCA 7 for men and ILCA 6 for women.

The B.B. Bodrumspor Club Sailing Department is hosting the event with EurILCA and the Turkish Sailing Federation. It is the venue's second EurILCA event in less than a month, after the ILCA Europa Cup was sailed in Bodrum from 23 to 27 September.

"We are proud to host the U21 European Championship in Bodrum," said Hadi Türk, president of Bodrumspor. "In welcoming sailors from so many countries, we want to show them our hospitality, Bodrum's natural beauty and everything this coast offers the sport of sailing."

191 sailors from 40 nations gather in Bodrum for ILCA U21 European Championships - photo © Turkish Sailing Federation

The fleets

The ILCA 7 fleet has 124 sailors, 46 of them under 19, who also race for the U19 ranking. The ILCA 6 women's fleet has 67 sailors.

Spain has the largest team with 19 sailors, followed by Germany (18), Italy (17), Türkiye (16), Great Britain (13) and Greece (11). The fleets are made up differently: Germany and Italy bring 15 men each, while Poland has seven sailors in the women's fleet and only two in the men's.

Sailors to watch: ILCA 6

Ginevra Caracciolo (ITA) arrives as reigning U21 World and European Champion and is sailing her final youth championship. "My goal is just to fully enjoy this last youth championship," she said on arrival. Hermione Ghicas (GRE), the 2026 Youth World and European Champion, took silver behind Caracciolo at this year's U21 Worlds in Lanzarote, where Adriana Castro (ESP) won bronze.

Other recent Youth and U21 medallists in the fleet are Irene de Tomás (ESP), Maria Vittoria Arseni (ITA), Alina Shapovalova (UKR), Beáta Dokoupilová (CZE) and Feline van Ede (NED). Capucine Deltel (FRA), the 2026 ILCA 4 Youth European Champion, is sailing her first ILCA 6 event. Home sailors Derin Degisen (TUR), runner-up at the 2025 ILCA 4 Youth Europeans and fourth at the Youth Worlds, and Ece Tüzün (TUR), the best-placed Turkish sailor in the ILCA 6 at the U21 Worlds, race on familiar water.

Sailors to watch: ILCA 7

Reigning U21 World Champion Antonio Pascali (ITA) faces Luka Zabukovec (SLO), Filip Olszewski (POL) and Karol Krupski Teterycz (ESP), who finished second, third and fourth respectively at the U21 Worlds. Josip Tafra (CRO) moves up to the ILCA 7 after winning the 2025 ILCA 6 Senior and Under-21 European titles.

The U19 ranking includes Alessandro Cirinei (ITA), the reigning U19 World Champion, and Spain's Tim Lubat and Sergio García, silver and bronze in the U19 category at the U21 Worlds. Kutsal Günes Kurnaz (TUR) and Ali Poyraz Özdemir (TUR) finished first and second in the U19 ILCA 7 fleet at the EurILCA Europa Cup held at the same venue last month.

Beyond Europe

Twenty sailors from ten nations outside Europe race for the Open European Trophy: Argentina, Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Morocco and Antigua. Argentina has the largest of these teams, with five sailors. Isabella Mendoza Cabezas (USA), seventh at the 2025 U21 Worlds, is among the contenders in the ILCA 6.

A sailing town

Bodrumspor has spent around 15 years building its youth sailing programme, including introducing the sport in local schools. "Introducing children to sailing matters for their development, their confidence and their courage," Türk said. "Clubs here have produced European and world champions, and there is a healthy rivalry and solidarity between them."

Bodrum's October calendar also includes the Bodrum Boat Show and The Bodrum Cup. For this championship, the organisers have set out a sustainability programme: less single-use plastic, a shoreline cleanup and a Sailing to COP31 initiative.

Schedule

Saturday 10 October: Parade of Nations from Bodrum Marina Square at 17:30, Opening Ceremony at 18:30
Sunday 11 to Friday 16 October: racing
Friday 16 October: Awards Ceremony at 18:30

Entries by nation (ILCA 7 / ILCA 6)

Spain 19 (12/7)
Germany 18 (15/3)
Italy 17 (15/2)
Türkiye 16 (9/7)
Great Britain 13 (11/2)
Greece 11 (9/2)
Poland 9 (2/7)
Russia 9 (5/4)
Denmark 7 (6/1)
Argentina 5 (2/3)
Czech Republic 5 (3/2)
Croatia 4 (2/2)
Finland 4 (4/0)
France 4 (0/4)
Netherlands 4 (2/2)
Sweden 4 (1/3)
Australia 3 (2/1)
Belarus 3 (2/1)
Belgium 3 (2/1)
Cyprus 3 (3/0)
Ireland 3 (2/1)
Portugal 3 (0/3)
Ukraine 3 (2/1)
Canada 2 (1/1)
Estonia 2 (2/0)
Lithuania 2 (2/0)
Switzerland 2 (1/1)
One sailor each: Antigua, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, United States