wING CENTER
Wingfoil:
Speed and freestyle with no limits.
A look at contests, championships, and their origins
Speed and freestyle with no limits.
A look at contests, championships, and their origins
wING CENTER
Wingfoil:
Speed and freestyle with no limits.
A look at contests, championships, and their origins
Speed and freestyle with no limits.
A look at contests, championships, and their origins
It was absolutely expected from wingfoiling, as a newly established watersport, to develop a variety of competitions.
The agility and speed of the hydrofoil inevitably led to the development of various disciplines: creative and dynamic freestyle, impressive wave riding with the wing down — all of this fostered a competitive spirit.
Wingfoil, as a new sport that has revolutionized the world of watersports, is rapidly capturing the attention of both riders and the general public year after year.
Today, a lot of people are eagerly waiting for the annual World Cup wingfoil contest—not just as a sporting event, but as a show. And the reason is simple: the beauty of wingfoiling lies in its unique blend of technical freestyle with jumps and speed, combined with the incredible effect of effortless flight and seamless trick execution.
But how did it all begin, and what exactly is the World Cup competition? What types of events are there?
In this article, we’ll provide clear and detailed answers to the most common questions: Are there wingfoil competitions? What are they like? And are they truly serious events?
The agility and speed of the hydrofoil inevitably led to the development of various disciplines: creative and dynamic freestyle, impressive wave riding with the wing down — all of this fostered a competitive spirit.
Wingfoil, as a new sport that has revolutionized the world of watersports, is rapidly capturing the attention of both riders and the general public year after year.
Today, a lot of people are eagerly waiting for the annual World Cup wingfoil contest—not just as a sporting event, but as a show. And the reason is simple: the beauty of wingfoiling lies in its unique blend of technical freestyle with jumps and speed, combined with the incredible effect of effortless flight and seamless trick execution.
But how did it all begin, and what exactly is the World Cup competition? What types of events are there?
In this article, we’ll provide clear and detailed answers to the most common questions: Are there wingfoil competitions? What are they like? And are they truly serious events?
The first step belongs to GWA.
So, by 2020, the popularity of wingfoiling was gaining momentum, and many of the manufacturing companies that had taken up active production of wingfoiling equipment in those years and were keen to grow the young sport united years of experience and knowledge in product development and manufacturing, providing a strong and solid platform for the future of wingsports.
Companies such as Airush, Cabrinha, Duotone, Fanatic, F-One, Manera, North, Ocean Rodeo, and Slingshot (and later joined by many other world-renowned brands) founded the Global Wingsports Association (GWA), the world’s first international wingsports association with the aim to provide one hub for all wing-related matters, under the team that runs the Global Kitesurfing Association (GKA) and professional kiteboarding competitions. Both organisations to this day share the same headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.
The GWA takes representation for brands members, competitive athletes and recreational athletes as well as information for the interested public. to ensure a sustainable growth of the sport both in terms of industry development and access to beaches and waterways, and to enable watersports enthusiasts around the globe to practice this new sport in the safest way possible, the Global Wingsports Association aims to develop guidelines, information and infrastructure in cooperation with national federations.
GWA was officially launched on 16 August 2020 at the one of the most prestigious watersport events in Europe at Lake Silvaplana in Switzerland. A handshake between GWA General Secretary Jörgen Vogt and Engadinwind organiser Christian Müller sealed the deal for future: The GWA is looking forward to joining the Engadinwind event with a range of wingfoiling competitions.
Companies such as Airush, Cabrinha, Duotone, Fanatic, F-One, Manera, North, Ocean Rodeo, and Slingshot (and later joined by many other world-renowned brands) founded the Global Wingsports Association (GWA), the world’s first international wingsports association with the aim to provide one hub for all wing-related matters, under the team that runs the Global Kitesurfing Association (GKA) and professional kiteboarding competitions. Both organisations to this day share the same headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.
The GWA takes representation for brands members, competitive athletes and recreational athletes as well as information for the interested public. to ensure a sustainable growth of the sport both in terms of industry development and access to beaches and waterways, and to enable watersports enthusiasts around the globe to practice this new sport in the safest way possible, the Global Wingsports Association aims to develop guidelines, information and infrastructure in cooperation with national federations.
GWA was officially launched on 16 August 2020 at the one of the most prestigious watersport events in Europe at Lake Silvaplana in Switzerland. A handshake between GWA General Secretary Jörgen Vogt and Engadinwind organiser Christian Müller sealed the deal for future: The GWA is looking forward to joining the Engadinwind event with a range of wingfoiling competitions.
Another major goal of the GWA is the development of an international competition format for the multiple disciplines of wing-foiling.
The beginning was made, but the path was thorny. Due to the specificities of the 2020 events, there were many constraints in the background of COVID-19. Some time later, the GWA decided to hold its own competition event, certainly with the strictest hygiene standards to ensure safety in accordance with WHO protocols. However, the first events were closed to the public.
In November 2020, the first official international GWA “SuperFoil” contest was held in Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará of beautiful Brazil. The contest is open in the discipline of Surf-freestyle and allows participants to express themselves as freely as possible. Points were awarded for wave riding, carving and tricks, creativity and the ability to use the conditions to the maximum.
After the opening of the GWA “SuperFoil” contest, it didn't take long for another - in December of the same year 2020 - the first ever GWA “Tarifa Wing Pro” contest, also dedicated to freestyle, in the European capital of water sports - Tarifa - played a key role.
Boom! And the whole world falls in love with wingfoil.
The beginning was made, but the path was thorny. Due to the specificities of the 2020 events, there were many constraints in the background of COVID-19. Some time later, the GWA decided to hold its own competition event, certainly with the strictest hygiene standards to ensure safety in accordance with WHO protocols. However, the first events were closed to the public.
In November 2020, the first official international GWA “SuperFoil” contest was held in Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará of beautiful Brazil. The contest is open in the discipline of Surf-freestyle and allows participants to express themselves as freely as possible. Points were awarded for wave riding, carving and tricks, creativity and the ability to use the conditions to the maximum.
After the opening of the GWA “SuperFoil” contest, it didn't take long for another - in December of the same year 2020 - the first ever GWA “Tarifa Wing Pro” contest, also dedicated to freestyle, in the European capital of water sports - Tarifa - played a key role.
Boom! And the whole world falls in love with wingfoil.
And just like that, in 2020, wingfoil's journey from a “rally” of national importance to its elite "Formula 1" and World Cup began
Wingfoil and its disciplines developed rapidly and the competition began to rapidly gain popularity. Riders from all over the world were waiting for the opportunity to demonstrate their new tricks and elements, many bet on speed and wave. Everyone was looking forward to the contests, but there weren’t enough of them.
In 2021 GWA organized the first World Tour - a series of international championships “WORLD CUP”, which becomes an elite class and is probably the main world championship (GWA WORLD CUP).
Today, it is the largest organizer of World Tours, dedicated to the global promotion of all aspects of wingfoiling, wingboarding, and any other sport that involves a wing on water, land, or snow. In collaboration with the wing sports industry, its mission is to attract more people to wing sports.
In 2021 GWA organized the first World Tour - a series of international championships “WORLD CUP”, which becomes an elite class and is probably the main world championship (GWA WORLD CUP).
Today, it is the largest organizer of World Tours, dedicated to the global promotion of all aspects of wingfoiling, wingboarding, and any other sport that involves a wing on water, land, or snow. In collaboration with the wing sports industry, its mission is to attract more people to wing sports.
The GWA has identified four existing disciplines: Surf-Freestyle, FreeFly-Slalom (a racing format with a twist), Wave, and Big Air (high jumps). Let’s break them down:
Surf-Freestyle is a competition format that aims to drive the ultimate levels of trick performance and expression. Riders battle against each other in heats of two or three, surfing waves or performing explosive and technically skilled air moves that are scored by judges. The athletes perform seven trick attempts in turn. The best three scores, from different trick families to promote variety, are counted.The constant and rapid evolution of tricks by wingfoiling’s youngest athletes ensures the discipline’s progression remains dynamic and exciting.
In the FreeFly-Slalom discipline, as many as 12 competitors race around a multi-leg course fighting for line honours. The course combines jibes, tacks and sections of pumping or surfing on the hydrofoil without using the power of the wing. The athletes compete in series of multiple short, sharp, seeded races to accumulate the best scores and decide the podium places. An exciting and evolving format, it is usually focused on high speed downwind courses. But it will also develop to include challenging, long-distance downwind adventure events.
FreeFly-Slalom is a new discipline with an interesting twist. Part of the course must be completed without using the wing—only by pumping.
Simply put, if a rider prioritizes speed on the wing-powered sections, they’ll opt for a smaller foil, which provides greater speed. However, a smaller foil makes the pumping section much more challenging. On the other hand, choosing a larger foil improves pumping performance but sacrifices speed on the racing stretches.
This is the tricky challenge the GWA has set. Let’s see how it plays out!
Competitors in the Wave discipline purely surf waves in any surfing conditions from cross offshore point breaks, to onshore beach breaks. No jumps on the way out are counted for the competitor’s score.
Big Air is an exciting new addition to the fast-evolving world of wingfoil. It is a competition format where the athletes are judged mainly on the height of their jumps, with a smaller element of their score awarded for the technical difficulty, power, smoothness and risk factor of their tricks. The emphasis of the new discipline is on “wow and show” factor, with athletes already showing they can jump as high as 12 metres while throwing air manoeuvres and flying as much as 50 metres downwind. Riders battle in heats of two or three in a format that builds tension as they progress in the contest.
The announcement for each discipline’s championships, WORLD TOUR, qualifiers, and other contest, along with more information, can be found HERE.
Surf-Freestyle is a competition format that aims to drive the ultimate levels of trick performance and expression. Riders battle against each other in heats of two or three, surfing waves or performing explosive and technically skilled air moves that are scored by judges. The athletes perform seven trick attempts in turn. The best three scores, from different trick families to promote variety, are counted.The constant and rapid evolution of tricks by wingfoiling’s youngest athletes ensures the discipline’s progression remains dynamic and exciting.
In the FreeFly-Slalom discipline, as many as 12 competitors race around a multi-leg course fighting for line honours. The course combines jibes, tacks and sections of pumping or surfing on the hydrofoil without using the power of the wing. The athletes compete in series of multiple short, sharp, seeded races to accumulate the best scores and decide the podium places. An exciting and evolving format, it is usually focused on high speed downwind courses. But it will also develop to include challenging, long-distance downwind adventure events.
FreeFly-Slalom is a new discipline with an interesting twist. Part of the course must be completed without using the wing—only by pumping.
Simply put, if a rider prioritizes speed on the wing-powered sections, they’ll opt for a smaller foil, which provides greater speed. However, a smaller foil makes the pumping section much more challenging. On the other hand, choosing a larger foil improves pumping performance but sacrifices speed on the racing stretches.
This is the tricky challenge the GWA has set. Let’s see how it plays out!
Competitors in the Wave discipline purely surf waves in any surfing conditions from cross offshore point breaks, to onshore beach breaks. No jumps on the way out are counted for the competitor’s score.
Big Air is an exciting new addition to the fast-evolving world of wingfoil. It is a competition format where the athletes are judged mainly on the height of their jumps, with a smaller element of their score awarded for the technical difficulty, power, smoothness and risk factor of their tricks. The emphasis of the new discipline is on “wow and show” factor, with athletes already showing they can jump as high as 12 metres while throwing air manoeuvres and flying as much as 50 metres downwind. Riders battle in heats of two or three in a format that builds tension as they progress in the contest.
The announcement for each discipline’s championships, WORLD TOUR, qualifiers, and other contest, along with more information, can be found HERE.
The foil gives us speed,
and speed is always a call for competition.
About racing.
and speed is always a call for competition.
About racing.
The GWA Race Class is suspended until 2026. During this period, WingFoil Racing World Cups are exclusively run by the International Wing Sports Association (IWSA) and announced on wingfoilracing.com
developing the Class Rules and Championship Rules;
developing Equipment registration regulations;
the training of race officers, judges, umpires, measurers and other administrators.
There are 2 events organized by The IWSA for the World Championship: the Formula Wing Class and the World Cup Series for the WingFoil Open Class.
The IWSA pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes, namely the conduct of world and continental level competitions.
The race schedule is announced on the IWSA website, and you can follow the latest news and rankings HERE
developing the Class Rules and Championship Rules;
developing Equipment registration regulations;
the training of race officers, judges, umpires, measurers and other administrators.
There are 2 events organized by The IWSA for the World Championship: the Formula Wing Class and the World Cup Series for the WingFoil Open Class.
The IWSA pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes, namely the conduct of world and continental level competitions.
The race schedule is announced on the IWSA website, and you can follow the latest news and rankings HERE
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Undeniably, wingfoyle is mesmerizing. From racing, wave and freestyle, fans from all over the world follow the development of the sport and its participants. Our station is not lagging behind and we systematically organize broadcasts of wingfoil championships of all disciplines and classes.
Join us!
Join us!
Materials for this topic were collected from official sources:
Global Wingsports Association (GWA) - https://wingfoilworldtour.com
The International Wing Sports Association (IWSA) - https://wingfoilracing.com
Global Wingsports Association (GWA) - https://wingfoilworldtour.com
The International Wing Sports Association (IWSA) - https://wingfoilracing.com
