Major Windsurfing Championships

Windsurfing is a sport on surface water that combines some elements of sailing and surfing sports. It uses a board typically two to three meters long powered by the wind on sail, as well as a rig that is linked to the board by a universal joint that can freely rotate. Records show that the water sport was originated by American inventor S. Newman Darby of Pennsylvania, United States after he invented the sailboard. Previously a non-competitive activity, windsurfing now has organized competitions at various levels all over the world. Formulas typical for competitive windsurfing have been adopted by organizers, like the Formula Windsurfing, Speed Sailing, Slalom or skiing on a wavy course, Course Racing, Wave Sailing, Super X and Freestyle. Together with the Olympic Windsurfing Class, the formulas are now among the disciplines that make up windsurfing.

Big windsurfing championships in many countries attract big-name windsurfers such as those in Australia, Singapore, North America, the Rhodes islands in Greece, Canada, Texas, U.S., and Portugal, among others. Some of these competitions have even drawn the participation of some of the world’s famous women windsurfers, among whom are Marina Alabau of Spain, Sofia Klepacka of Poland, Alessandra Sensini of Italy, Barbara Kendall of France, and Olga Maslivets of Ukraine.

The ISAF-SOL World Windsurfing Championship in Freemantle, Western Australia is organized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and has already attracted the world’s best windsurfers and awarded 43 world, international and class titles to winners. In Singapore, the Asian Windsurfing Championship is organized by the Singapore Windsurfing Association in coordination with the International Windsurfing Association (IWA). Local and foreign windsurfers compete in 36 different categories and five different classes in this one of the biggest windsurfing championships in the Southeast Asian region.

The North American Windsurfing Championship is held for three days in a 10-race regatta or rowing and sailing races in Lake Waconia in Minnesota, US, during which races windsurfers earn points based on their finishes at the end of each race event.

The Canadian Windsurfing Championship is sanctioned by the Windsurfing Canada for three major disciplines of Course Racing, Freestyle and Wave Racing, and Slalom. This is to determine the country’s all-around champions in both men’s and women’s classes.

The Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Regatta is held in Rhodes in Greece at the Talisos Beach, which is a perfect location for windsurfing competitions. The site is a major tourist destination and boasts of infrastructures that can support such events. Besides, the site is endowed with hospitable climate and constant side shore winds that are always welcome for competitors and spectators alike.

The Gulf Coast Windsurfing Championship in Houston, Texas, US has participants at age range of 12 to 78 in four races under usually gusty winds but rarely calmer winds from the north side of Texas. In addition, there is the Portimao Formula Windsurfing World Championship in Portugal which draws windsurfing competitors, both men and women, from such countries as Australia, United Kingdom, Brazil, Poland and Argentina, and some bright stars of the windsurfing firmament.Fore more details click here.