Ones to Watch: Experience meets a new generation at the 2026 World Sailing Inclusion Championships

Across the Championships, some of the most exciting stories are not only about who might win. Athletes are returning to international competition, new nations are emerging through World Sailing’s Inclusive Development Programme (IDP), and entirely new disciplines are joining the programme. 

In the Para Inclusive One-Person Keelboat World Championship, the Hansa 303 fleet brings together some familiar names. Piotr Cichocki (POL), Jens Kroker (GER), Gauthier Bril (FRA) and Rory McKinna (GBR) will be among an experienced group to watch. 

But the fleet also demonstrates the growing reach of the sport. Zaida Perez Bugueño (CHI) has progressed through the development pathway since participating in the programme around The Hague in 2023, while Daniel McCollin (BAR) makes the step from the Antigua IDP earlier this year to the World Championships.  

Jingkun “Jackie” Xu (CHN) brings a different sailing background to the fleet as an offshore and Vendée sailor, while Chi-Chian Wu (TPE) returns to the event and will also participate in the Performance IDP in Portimão.  

India and Korea will also return with multiple Hansa 303 entries following previous IDP activity, demonstrating how investment in development is translating into sustained participation at international level.  

There is another great development story in the Inclusive Two-Person Keelboat, where Xervier Doney (NZL) will compete alongside his father, Paul. Xervier, as an Intellectual Impairment sailor, who participated in the Australia IDP in 2025 and now progresses to international competition in Portimão.  

The Para Inclusive Two-Person Keelboat World Championship will feature plenty of established talent in the RS Venture Connect, with strong teams from Great Britain, France and host nation Portugal. 

One of the biggest names returning to the two-person fleet is Maureen McKinnon (USA). A Paralympic gold medallist in the SKUD18, McKinnon returns to international two-person competition alongside Shan McAdoo.  

Alongside that experience will be some exciting new international representation. Thailand’s Tanat Upatising and Tammachat Sriopas progress to the Championships following the IDP held in India in August, while Jamaica joins the fleet following the Antigua IDP earlier in 2026. Ukraine will also be represented following work with the Superhumans Center.  

The Championships will also see the Challenger make its debut in the Para Inclusive One-Person Multihull World Championship. 

Among those returning to international competition is Russell Vollmer (RSA), who previously competed during the Paralympic era in the 2.4mR. Trinidad & Tobago, India and Vietnam are also represented in the new fleet, creating another pathway for sailors from developing Para programmes to compete internationally.  

There will be plenty of experience in the Para Inclusive One-Person Technical Championship too. The 2.4mR fleet includes Niko Salomaa (FIN) and John Seepe (USA) among an international line-up spanning Europe, Asia and North America.  

Perhaps the biggest step into new territory, however, will come above the water. 

Para Inclusive WingFoil joins the championship programme as a demonstration discipline, bringing one of sailing’s newest and fastest-growing formats to the Para Inclusive community. 

The discipline is being developed collaboratively, with Australian Sailing and World Sailing working alongside athletes, coaches and equipment specialists to explore equipment, adaptations and racing formats. 

Guillaume Colin (FRA) has been closely involved in that development and brings experience from events including Défi Wing. Simon Bibby (AUS) and Jazz Turner (GBR) are also among the athletes who have helped shape the emerging discipline. 

Already, the international reach is encouraging. The current entry includes athletes from Australia, France, Great Britain, Germany, India, Italy, Trinidad & Tobago and Vietnam.  

With a new discipline and developing equipment, there is no established form book to follow. Instead, Portimão will provide an opportunity for the athletes themselves to help shape what Para Inclusive WingFoil could become. 

Innovation will also be at the centre of the Intellectual Impairment and Cognitive Impairment programme, where accessible racing formats continue to be developed and tested. Hong Kong, China, returns with Ho Tin Lam and Tsz Hin Cheung among the II entries, alongside representation from St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago. Great Britain’s Murray McDonald will also return looking to defend his titles. 

In the Vision Impaired Keelboat World Championship, Dani Anglada Pich (ESP) and Lucy Hodges (GBR) are two experienced names to follow. Both have also contributed to the wider development of VI sailing, helping create opportunities and share knowledge with sailors and nations entering the discipline. Racing in the RS21 will add another new dimension to the VI competition in Portimão. 

From Paralympic champions returning to the water to sailors reaching their first World Championships through the IDP pathway, the 2026 field reflects both the history and the changing face of Para Inclusive Sailing. 

And with new nations, new equipment and new disciplines joining established World Championship fleets, Portimão will offer an early glimpse of where the sport could go next.