Call for Young Sailors launched, a new initiative within the Young Azzurra programme
Alongside the YCCS regatta calendar presentation, the Young Azzurra sporting project, dedicated to supporting talented young sailors, continues in 2026 with its current cohort of athletes: Maddalena Spanu in WingFoil, Federico Pilloni in iQFOiL and Cesare Barabino in ILCA 7. A new YCCS initiative was announced for 2027: the "Call for Young Sailors" will select the next athletes to become part of the Young Azzurra project, which will have Pietro Zucchetti, a two-time Olympic competitor and former Italian Sailing Federation coach, as its technical lead. The initiative, in addition to selecting future Young Azzurra athletes, aims to introduce candidates from dinghies, sailboards and Olympic classes to offshore sailing, enabling young people to find crew spots at regattas organised by the YCCS. The objective is to promote greater inclusion of future generations in professional offshore racing, acting as a bridge between the varied segments within the sailing world.
Talented young sailors and/or teams aged 18 to 25 will be able to apply from 1 July 2026. Further details of the initiative will be released in the coming months.
