The Tornado European Championship Comes to Univela
Campione del Garda is gearing up for another week of world-class international sailing. From September 1 to 5, Univela Sailing will host the 2026 Tornado European Championship, an event now in its 51st edition that will bring together crews from various European countries and beyond on Lake Garda to compete for the continental title in one of sailing’s most spectacular and iconic classes.
The official schedule includes the opening day and a practice race on September 1, while the regattas will take place from September 2 through 5. September 6 is set aside as a potential reserve day. A total of 12 races are scheduled.
THE TORNADO, AN ICON OF SAILING
The Tornado is a one-design catamaran for two-person crews, designed in 1967 by British designer Rodney March in collaboration with Terry Pierce and Reg White with the specific goal of becoming the Olympic class for multihulls. Its speed, performance, and ability to combine technical skill with spectacular action have made it a true icon of international sailing.
Its Olympic debut came at the 1976 Montreal Games: the Tornado was, in fact, the first catamaran to be included in the Olympic program and remained an Olympic class until the 2008 Beijing Games, participating in nine editions of the Games and becoming one of the iconic boats of high-performance sailing.
A history spanning nearly 60 years, then, for a class that still attracts some of the best multihull sailing specialists today.
A TRULY INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Univela Tornado European Championship reaffirms Campione del Garda’s international reputation. Crews are already signed up from, among others, Belgium, Australia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain—in addition, of course, to Italy.
The Tornado European Championship also returns to northern Italy after recent editions held in Cesenatico in 2022 and, prior to that, in Rimini, Arco, and Dervio: Lake Garda thus reaffirms its central role in the class’s recent history.
A SPECIAL AWARD IN HONOR OF HISTORY
Making the event even more significant will be the presence of Giorgio Zuccoli’s bowman, Angelo Glisoni—a native of Brescia and a legendary figure in Italian sailing—who will be the guest of honor at the awards ceremony.
Zuccoli was one of Italy’s leading Tornado specialists during the 1980s and 1990s: with Luca Santella, he won bronze at the World Championships in 1987 and 1988, while in 1991, together with Angelo Glisoni, he won the world title. In 1988, he also represented Italy at the Seoul Olympic Games in the Tornado class.
Glisoni’s presence at the awards ceremony will thus serve as an ideal bridge between the Tornado’s great Olympic history and the new generation of sailors who continue to keep this extraordinary class alive today.
“Hosting the Tornado European Championship means bringing to Univela a class that represents an important part of international sailing history,” emphasizes Univela Sailing. “It is a boat designed for the Olympic Games, capable of evolving over time and still extremely competitive and spectacular today. Having crews from so many countries on Lake Garda and being able to include a figure like Giorgio Zuccoli in the awards ceremony makes this event even more special.”
From September 1 to 5, therefore, the winds of Lake Garda will once again showcase the world of international sailing.
Univela is ready to host the 2026 Tornado European Championship.
The event strengthens Campione del Garda’s position on the circuit of major European sailing events and confirms Univela’s organizational capacity to host competitions of the highest technical, sporting, and international caliber.
