AST ready to race
The Australian Sailing Team will compete against sailors from over 50 nations in the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam as part of French Olympic Week.
23 April 2026
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The second Sailing Grand Slam event of the 2026 season takes place this week in Hyères, France, as French Olympic Week prepares to welcome hundreds of sailors.
The event will see more than 50 nations represented, across all 10 Olympic classes, and Australia will have a strong presence on the start line, fielding 43 entries across the race.
A long-standing highlight on the international sailing calendar, French Olympic Week has built a reputation over more than five decades as one of the sport’s premier testing grounds.
Held in the Bay of Hyères on the Mediterranean coast, the event is known for its varied and challenging conditions — from powerful Mistral winds and strong easterlies to lighter seabreezes — with this year’s edition expected to deliver a full range of racing conditions.
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Fresh off his victory at the opening Sailing Grand Slam in Spain, double Olympic Champion Matt Wearn will be one to watch as he lines up against a 136-boat ILCA7 fleet.
“It’s looking like we are expecting a classic Hyères with a bit of everything on the forecast,” shared Wearn.
It will be a great test for those that can master every condition.”
“As always in the ILCA the fleet is about as competitive as you can get. All the main protagonists are here and ready to fight as well as plenty of younger guys looking to show their worth, so it’s going to be a tough week of racing.”
The regatta marks another important step early in the LA 2028 cycle, building on momentum from the season opener in Palma and offering a fresh benchmark across the fleet.
Australian Sailing High Performance Director Iain Brambell said this regatta provides a valuable opportunity to measure progress in a high-quality international field.
“We’ve seen some strong early indicators across the team this season, particularly in terms of depth and consistency, and this week gives us another chance to assess that across a full range of conditions,” he said.
“At this stage, it’s about continuing to build and actively progressing the learnings from Palma.
“Pushing towards repeatable podium performances, exposing athletes to the intricacies of decision making under pressure, refining execution, and making sure we’re progressively tracking in an upward direction as the cycle unfolds.”
With world-class competition and a racecourse known to challenge sailors, French Olympic Week will provide another key test for the Australian Sailing Team on the road to LA 2028.
Racing began on 20 April and will run through to the weekend. The board classes (iQFOiL and Formula Kite) will contest their Finals Series on 24 April, with the remaining boat classes to decide medals on 25 April.
Full list of entries can be found here.
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