Starting January 2025, iQFOiL women’s and men’s fleets to adopt smaller sails to encourage greater accessibility and smoother transitions between youth and senior categories.
According to the new changes approved by World Sailing and the iQFOiL class, the women’s and youth categories will go from the 8m² sail to a newly designed 7.3m² sail. The men’s category, for its part, will change the current 9m² sail for the 8m² one, the current design of the women’s and youth fleets.
Both categories will adopt the current 4.90 meter mast to align with the revised sail sizes.
According to the statement sent by the international sailing federation, these updates reflect the commitment of evolve into a more inclusive iQFOiL class for athletes of all sizes. The new equipment promotes a greater level playing field, providing a competitive platform for sailors of a greater diversity of complexions from different nations and continents.
The change is also intended to create a Better progression for younger athletes moving from youth to senior. With the new senior sails identical to those used in the junior fleet, the transition will be smoother, reducing additional costs and minimizing adjustments to athletes’ training and diets.
The new equipment has already been tested, with the aim of guaranteeing compliance with the highest standards of performance and reliability. Athletes will debut the updated configuration at the iQFOiL International Games in Lanzarotewhich will take place from January 27 to February 2, 2025, and will mark the first official event under the new rules.
Pilar Lamadrid.
Criticism for having to gain a lot of weight
In the previous cycle, The requirement that athletes have to gain a lot of weight had been criticized to be able to perform at the highest level and be faster on the board with foils, leaving behind the slender figures of the usual windsurfers, so it is a change expected by the majority of the fleet.
Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, iQFOiL class director, stated: “These changes represent a thoughtful and conscious evolution of iQFOiL class as a sportafter completing his first Olympic cycle. This new chapter prioritizes inclusion, equity and accessibility around the world.”
He added that “by creating a more fluid path from the youth to the senior categories and guaranteeing a equal competition between genders and body typesan important step is being taken to make iQFOiL an even more global and sustainable class.
Jaime Navarro, Technical and Offshore Director of World Sailing, explained that “the decision aims to further align the equipment with the planned weight objectives that guided the selection of the iQFOiL for the Olympic Games, to meet the needs of a base of diverse and global athletes.
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