Ireland will host an Olympic-class sailing World Championship for the first time in 25 years when the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship comes to Dun Laoghaire from 23–30 August.
More than 140 sailors representing 46 nations will compete on Dublin Bay, with six days of racing scheduled from 25–30 August. The fleet will include the world’s leading ILCA 7 sailors as they campaign towards the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The ILCA 7 is the single-handed dinghy used for the men’s competition at the Olympic Games. With every sailor racing in an identical boat, success depends on speed, skill and the ability to adapt to changing conditions, qualities Dublin Bay is expected to test throughout the championship.
The event will be hosted jointly by the Royal St George Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club, bringing one of international sailing’s most competitive fleets to the heart of Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
Ireland’s challenge will be led by Irish Sailing Senior Team members Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club and Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club.
They will be joined by Irish Sailing development athletes Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal Irish Yacht Club and Bobby Driscoll of Ballyholme Yacht Club. Also racing are Tom Coulter of East Antrim Boat Club and Roger Craig of the Royal St George Yacht Club.
Lynch and McMahon have both previously won Youth World Championship silver medals on home waters. Lynch took silver at the 2012 World Sailing Youth Championships on Dublin Bay before progressing to the senior ranks, where he won silver at the 2021 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship in Barcelona. McMahon claimed his Youth World silver medal at the 2016 Laser Radial Youth World Championships in Dún Laoghaire.
Lynch arrives at the championship following seventh-place finishes at both the Los Angeles Sailing Grand Slam and the ILCA European Championships. The Carlow sailor’s early season was disrupted by illness in Palma, but his recent results point to a strong return to form.
Ewan McMahon has also produced a series of top-20 finishes against leading international fleets this season. Racing on familiar waters will give the Howth sailor an opportunity to build on those results.
The Irish sailors will face a formidable international field led by World No. 1 Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus. A former two time world champion and double Olympic silver medallist, Kontides demonstrated his form on Dublin Bay when he finished second to Britain’s Elliot Hanson at the recent Coaches’ Invitational Regatta.
Double Olympic champion Matt Wearn of Australia will also be among the leading contenders. The Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist arrives in Dún Laoghaire with three Sailing Grand Slam victories in 2026 and will be aiming to reclaim the world title he won in 2024.
For the Irish public and media, it offers a close-up view of elite Olympic sailing and the chance to follow the home team as they take on Olympic and world champions on Dublin Bay.
Con Murphy, Chair of the Organising Committee, said, “The National Yacht Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club are ready to welcome the world’s top sailors to Dún Laoghaire. Around 100 highly experienced volunteers from Ireland and overseas will support the championships both afloat and ashore, and their expertise is central to delivering an event of this scale.
“With the latest race-start and course-setting technology in use on Dublin Bay, these championships will meet the highest international standards and demonstrate Ireland’s ability to deliver major sailing events at world-class level. We are enormously proud to host them and look forward to welcoming the sailors, teams and supporters to Dún Laoghaire.”
The championship’s Medal Races will be livestreamed, with commentary from international sailor Maurice O’Connell and Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy. Details on how to watch will be announced through the championship’s official channels.
The 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship runs from 23–30 August, with racing beginning the 25 August, and is supported by Sport Ireland, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, XOCEAN, the Royal Marine Hotel, KPMG and official apparel partner Rooster.
It will be followed by the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship from 5–12 September, bringing a second fleet of the world’s leading Olympic sailors to Dún Laoghaire for another week of international competition.
Further Details: ILCA 7 World Championships
Event Video: ILCA World Championships 2026