Australian Sailing Team Ready to Race French Olympic Week

Australian Sailing Team Ready to Race French Olympic Week

Image: Matt Wearn in action ahead of French Olympic Week in Hyères. Credit: Beau Outteridge / Australian Sailing Team

The following media release has been supplied by Australian Sailing and includes a preview of the team competing at French Olympic Week 2026, shared here for AFLOAT Magazine readers with an interest in sailing regattas Europe and Olympic sailing competition.

The second Sailing Grand Slam of the 2026 season heads to Hyères, France, this week, with the French Olympic Week regatta set to welcome hundreds of sailors from more than 50 nations across all 10 Olympic classes. Australia will be strongly represented, with 43 entries preparing to take to the start line.

A fixture on the international calendar for more than half a century, French Olympic Week is one of the sport’s most respected testing grounds. Set on the Bay of Hyères in the Mediterranean, the regatta is renowned for its range of conditions from the powerful Mistral and strong easterly winds to light seabreezes, with this week expected to deliver a bit of everything.

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.”


Grae Morris iQFOiL windsurfing French Olympic Week 2026 Hyeres Australia
Image: Grae Morris in iQFOiL action representing Australia at French Olympic Week 2026. Credit: Sailing Energy

 

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 gets underway on 20 April and runs 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.

Australian Entries – French Olympic Week 2026

ILCA 6 (83 entries)

  • Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
  • Mara Stransky (AST)
  • Zoe Thomson (AST)
  • Casey Imeneo (AS Squad)
  • Evie Saunders (AS Squad)
  • Ellen Sampson (ASF)
  • Lili McAullay (ASF)
  • Sylvie Stannage (AUS)
  • Frances Beebe (AUS)

ILCA 7 (136 entries)

  • Matt Wearn (AST)
  • Ethan McAullay (AST)
  • Zac Littlewood (AST)
  • Michael Compton (AS Squad)
  • Lawson McAullay (AS Squad)
  • Isaac Schotte (AS Squad)
  • Alexander Bijkerk (SSPP)
  • Hamish Gilsenan (SSSP)
  • Julian Taylor (SSSP)
  • Luke Elliot (AUS)
  • Patrick Scally (AUS)

iQFOiL – Men (66 entries)

  • Grae Morris (AST)
  • Rory Meehan (AS Squad)
  • Phillip Crispey (ASF)
  • Jarrod Jones (ASF)
  • Matthew Quinlan (SSPP)

iQFOiL – Women (41 entries)

  • Anna Crispey (ASF)
  • Sammie Costin (AUS)

Formula Kite – Men (40 entries)

  • Oscar Timm (SSPP)

Formula Kite – Women (23 entries)

  • Brieana Whitehead (AST)

Nacra 17 (30 entries)

  • Brin Liddell / Rhiannan Brown (AST)
  • Ruben Booth / Rita Booth (AS Squad)
  • Archie Gargett / Sarah Hoffman (AS Squad)
  • Jake Liddell / Niamh Meehan (AS Squad)

49er (48 entries)

  • Jack Ferguson / Jack Hilderbrand (AS Squad)
  • Otto Henry / Shaun Connor (AS Squad)
  • Harry Price / Max Paul (AS Squad)
  • Kurt Hansen / Charlie Zeeman (ASF)
  • Daniel Links / Keizo Tomishima (ASF)

49erFX (24 entries)

  • Laura Harding / Annie Wilmot (AS Squad)
  • Brooke Wilson (ASF) / Evie Haseldine (AS Squad)

470 (49 entries)

  • Sophie Jackson / Austin Cross (ASF)
  • Alice Buchanan / Angus Higgins (SSPP)

Follow the Australian Sailing Team

  • Web: www.australiansailingteam.com.au
  • Instagram: @aussailingteam
  • Facebook: @aussailingteam

About Australian Sailing

Australian Sailing is the governing body for the sport of Sailing in Australia. We are responsible for the administration, promotion and development of sailing. We are a member-based organisation that represent the interests and provides services and support to over 360 clubs across Australia as well as more than 160 accredited Discover Sailing Centres.

The Australian Sailing Team is the national representative team for Olympic-class sailing, bringing together Australia’s elite athletes and rising stars through a unified high-performance pathway within Australian Sailing.

After a dominant performance in Spain, see how the Australian Sailing Team built early-season momentum in our Palma Sailing Grand Slam results and race wrap.

This media release has been provided by Australian Sailing. For more sailing regattas Europe updates and Olympic sailing competition news, visit our AFLOAT Magazine marine lifestyle news section.