Post-Olympic review
After the Games, it’s before the Games – a formula that may be a little hackneyed, but one that has its raison d’ĂȘtre. After Paris 2024, it was first necessary to digest the Olympic adventure and analyze performances before preparing for the next milestones.
The first key meeting of the Swiss Sailing Team (SST) took place at the end of March in Palma, just before the Trofeo Princesa SofĂa. This “team meeting” was the first official gathering of the Olympic athletes after their generally successful adventure in Marseille. A quick reminder: although there were no medals, Switzerland did win an Olympic diploma in all the classes in which it competed, achieving the best team result ever. An all-time record, and the motivation to aim even higher in Los Angeles in 2028.
Intermediate season 2025
As tradition dictates, the Trofeo Princesa SofĂa will open the season of major international regattas in the Olympic classes, followed by the Semaine Olympique Française in HyĂšres at the end of April. The Swiss Sailing Team will be taking part in these two major events in as many classes as possible. Its athletes are continuing their preparation with the tried-and-tested strategy of coordinated training groups. An overview.
ILCA 6
Jakub Kozelsky has joined ESS as coach for the women sailors on ILCA 6. With Olympic experience as a coach and project manager, he led the Belgian team in 2020-2021, with a view to the Tokyo Olympics. After a hiatus in SailGP with the Swiss team, Maud Jayet resumed training with the Czech at the beginning of March and will start her ILCA 6 season in Palma. Anja von Allmen has just returned from Australia, where she trained over the winter, and will also start the Trofeo Princesa SofĂa.
ILCA 7
Gauthier and Martin Verhulst are now training with the Dutch ILCA 7 team, thanks to a partnership between ESS and the Netherlands. The two Swiss sailors join a group of seven athletes and will benefit from the guidance of renowned coaches Jaap Zielhuis and Roelof Bouwmeester.
iQFoil Men
Elia Colombo and Sebastian Schaerer continue their collaboration with coach Diederik Bakker. After a post-Olympic break, Elia has been training and racing in Asia, while Sebastian has been preparing in Europe. They will make their comeback together in Palma, where they will start the 2025 season.
Formula Kite
Elena Lengwiler also took a break after the Games, but the Formula Kite Squad continued training, first in Sardinia in November, then in Fuerteventura from January onwards. Gian Andrea Stragiotti, Karl Maeder and Elena continue to train under Matthieu Girolet. However, Elena will not be taking part in Palma due to a knee injury.
49er
After the Olympic Games, SĂ©bastien Schneiter and Arno de Planta temporarily left the 49er to concentrate on SailGP. The other crews in the series – Pablo RĂŒegge and Linus Abicht and, since February, Josh Richner and Nilo SchĂ€rer – have continued their training under Ian Barker. The Trofeo Princesa SofĂa is their first major competition of the season.
470 Mixed
Yves Mermod and Maja Siegenthaler have decided to take a break until the summer of 2025 before deciding on the next step in their careers. For Maja, Los Angeles 2028 would already be the fourth Olympic campaign!
First qualification opportunities in 2026
The road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is beginning to take shape. World Sailing has already set the framework. For the first time, the joint Olympic Class World Championships, where the majority of Olympic qualifying tickets are awarded, will be split in two. The one-person-events will be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2026, while the two-person-events will be held in Gdynia, Poland, in 2027.
The venue for the 2028 Olympic regattas has not yet been confirmed. The LA2028 bid file mentioned Belmont Shore in Long Beach, but the organizers have yet to validate this choice. The devastating fires in and around Los Angeles have caused uncertainty and delayed decisions. An announcement is expected by summer. We will then know where the next Olympic sailing medals will be awarded.