Racing begins Monday at the 2026 World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portimão, Portugal, with a record 222 athletes from 40 nations competing across nine events through Saturday 10 October.
The championship brings together established international competitors, Para Inclusive sailors and emerging athletes in a format designed from their 2025 launch as a hybrid environment where racing, education and development run together. The event builds on the inaugural World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Oman in 2025.
World Sailing President Quanhai Li told Sunday's opening ceremony at the historic Antiga Lota de Portimão that the growth demonstrated the progress being made across the sport.
"This is not just a regatta; it is a defining tradition for our sport," Li said. "It is a powerful continuation of a movement that will shape Para and inclusive sailing for decades to come."
The championship fields include nations making their championship debut such as Barbados, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis and Vietnam.
For Jamaica's Andre Daley, the event marks just months since he began sailing. Daley took up the sport in June 2026 following a scuba diving accident in 2025, learning through World Sailing's Inclusive Development Programme in Antigua.
"When I'm out on the water, I feel free," Daley said. "I'd love for more people to come and try."
Thailand's Tanat Upatising, competing in his first championship, is racing the RS Venture Connect after participating in the pre-regatta development programme. He aims for a top-five finish among 28 teams but said the broader goal is "to take what we've learned here back to Thailand and keep building."
The Championships also advance World Sailing's campaign for sailing's return to the Paralympic programme at Brisbane 2032. Li said every race would demonstrate that "Para Inclusive Sailing is high-performance, vibrant, and expanding across the globe."
The event is delivered with Vela Solidária, the Municipality of Portimão, the Portuguese Sailing Federation and backing from The America's Cup.
