Balearic sailors ready for French Olympic Week

The event in Hyères, the second stop of the Sailing Grand Slam, brings together the international elite following the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca.

Spain heads into French Olympic Week this week, the second event of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam, with a team made up of 17 crews, 14 of them integrated into the structure of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, between the pre-Olympic squad and the 2032 programme.

Following the recent Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels, the national team continues its international calendar in the waters of Hyères (France), at an event that once again brings together much of the world elite in the Olympic classes on the road to Los Angeles 2028.

In the mixed 470 class, Spain will count on two of its main references: Mallorcan sailor Marta Cardona, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar (RCNB), recent winners in Palma, as well as Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro de Maqua (CN El Balís), who continue to consolidate their progress in the class.

“We are coming off a very intense regatta in Palma and now it is time to keep working on a course like Hyères, which is always very demanding. The goal is to maintain consistency, get onto the podium and keep fine-tuning the details,” says Jordi Xammar, one of the leading figures of the national team.

In the 49er, the crews of the pre-Olympic team Conrad Konitzer, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Antonio Torrado (RCNT) will compete, along with brothers Martín and Jaime Wizner (RCNV), and the young duo Pol and Àlex Marsans (CN Arenys de Mar), as part of the 2032 programme.

The 49er FX representation will be made up of Patricia Suárez (RCNV) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, from the pre-Olympic team.

In the single-handed classes, the presence in ILCA 7 of three sailors from the RFEV stands out: Leo Barreto (RCNT), Javier Seguí, from Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença, and Gonzalo Suárez (CN Altea). Diego Peleteiro (RCNS), Marc O’Connor, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Roberto Aguilar (RCN Benalmádena) complete the Spanish entry in the class.

In ILCA 6, 2032 team sailor Marga Perelló, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, will compete. The Mallorcan sailor highlighted the importance of this kind of event in her development: “Competing at this level allows us to measure ourselves against the best and keep growing. Every regatta is an opportunity to learn and take another step forward.”

In Olympic windsurfing, Spain will be represented by Bernat Tomàs, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, in the men’s iQFOiL, and Andrea Torres, from the same club, in the women’s iQFOiL, while in the Nacra 17 Joan Cardona, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Nicole Van der Velden will compete, alongside the developing crew formed by Dani and Nora García de la Casa (CN El Masnou).

French Olympic Week is another opportunity to continue consolidating the team’s performance after the start of the season, in a setting of the highest international level.

The competition will begin on Monday, April 20th, with the usual schedule of qualifying races and finals, in a regatta that once again places Olympic sailing at the centre of the international calendar.

With this participation, the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation continues to move forward on its roadmap toward Los Angeles 2028, combining immediate performance with the development of the future generations of the national team.

The activity of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and its national teams, including the pre-Olympic team and the 2032 team, is possible thanks to the support of a solid ecosystem of institutions and companies committed to sailing, the sport that has given Spain the most Olympic gold medals.

The RFEV is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención and Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Its institutional sponsors are the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee and Universo Mujer, together with the Port Authority of Santander and the Government of Cantabria (through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Deporte Cantabria and the Regional Society of Culture and Sport). Its official suppliers are Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool and Enovis, with ADESP and World Sailing as institutional collaborators.