A new era of SailGP Inspire program is upon us.
Sydney February 8/9th 2025
With qualification for the 2025 Australian SailGP event in Sydney (Season 5) well underway, this event will be used to test the new Inspire format. The Sydney 2025 Inspire event is, therefore, a standalone event bringing the best Australian talent together. The prize for the winner will be an intern spot with a SailGP F50 team at the Australian event in 2026, further solidifying the pathway from WASZP and Inspire into the professional arena.
There are still three spots yet to be selected for the 2025 Australian event. The remaining three sailors will be selected from those who apply via Racehub https://racehub.waszp.com/eventdetail/450. The Sydney 2025 Inspire event is not a qualifier for the 2026 Grand Final (Season 6); a separate qualification series for Australians for the 2026 Grand Final will be announced in due course.
What this means for 2025 and beyond Globally
Throughout 2025, there will be a series of domestic Inspire qualifying events in a range of countries where top performing sailors will be offered spots at the subsequent Inspire Grand Final (Most likely Sydney 2026).
The WASZP International Class Association invites the National Class Associations from France, Spain, Germany, USA, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Italy, and the UK to nominate their qualification event or series. These nations align with 11 of the 12 SailGP F50 teams.
To showcase the very best WASZP athletes at the Grand Final, the age limit has been raised to U25 for males with no age restriction for females.
There will be no gender-based quotas at qualification events, however, it is likely WASZP will run a stand-alone women’s qualifying event.
Together these changes ensure the top sailors have the opportunity to compete for the biggest prize in SailGP Inspire history at the 2026 Grand Final. With SailGP confirming aspirations to add a $USD10,000 prize purse for the winner.
Additional details, including information on a standalone women’s qualification event, will be released in the new year.
Merry Christmas from the Global WASZP Team!
