Draft:Wave Rally World Championships
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 5 weeks or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 2,741 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
| Wave Rally World Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Coronation Beach, Howatharra, Western Australia |
| Inaugurated | January 2025 |
| Founder | Paul van Bellen |
| Website | https://www.waverally.org |
The Wave Rally World Championships is a windsurfing competition held at Coronation Beach near Geraldton, Western Australia. First formally staged in January 2025, the event combines elements of slalom racing and wave sailing, with competitors using wave-oriented equipment on a figure-eight course that passes through the surf zone. Races begin and finish on the beach.
German windsurfing publication Daily Dose described the format as reviving elements of 1980s windsurfing, including beach starts and racing on wave equipment, while restricting specialist slalom equipment in order to make participation more accessible.[1]
The event has attracted competitors from Australia and overseas. ABC News reported in January 2026 that windsurfers from around the world travelled to Geraldton to compete in the Wave Rally.[2] In September 2026, the event received the Sport Promotion Award at the 2026 Western Australian Sailing Awards.[3]
Format and concept
[edit]
Wave Rally uses a figure-eight slalom course marked by two buoys, with part of the course extending through the surf zone. Competitors begin behind a line on the beach with their equipment positioned near the water. At the start signal they run to their equipment, enter the water and complete the course before returning to the beach to finish.
Unlike conventional slalom competition, specialist slalom racing equipment is excluded. Competitors use multi-fin wave boards and sails with a maximum of five battens. Daily Dose reported that the restriction was intended to reduce the need for specialised racing equipment and make the format more accessible to recreational windsurfers.[1]
If conditions are unsuitable for conventional wave equipment, inflatable windSUP boards can be used instead. SURF described the format in November 2025 as racing wave equipment around a figure-eight course through the surf zone, noting that windSUPs had been used during the inaugural event when the wind was insufficient for wave boards.[4]
ABC News reported that the 2026 competition involved heats of eight competitors racing from Coronation Beach around a figure-eight course through the bay.[2]
Origins and development
[edit]An early version of the Wave Rally concept was demonstrated in Geraldton in 2024. French publication Windsurf Journal covered the concept in March 2024, describing a slalom course raced on wave equipment with beach starts and finishes.[5]
In November 2024, Daily Dose published an article explaining the proposed competition format ahead of the first formal edition. It reported that the event had received three-star International Windsurfing Tour status and that competitors would race wave equipment through the surf zone from a beach start.[6]
In a December 2024 interview with SURF, organiser Paul van Bellen described Coronation Beach's combination of a protected lagoon and offshore waves as the basis for developing the wave-slalom format.[7]
History
[edit]2025
[edit]
The inaugural formal edition was held at Coronation Beach from 10 to 12 January 2025. Before the event, the Geraldton Guardian reported on its development and international participation.[8]
Light winds affected the first two days, resulting in racing on inflatable windSUP boards. Stronger conditions on the final day allowed the semi-finals and finals to be held on wave equipment.[1][9]
Albert Pijoan won the overall final ahead of Thewes De Boer and Peter Kenyon, while Maria Schälin won the women's division.[1]
2026
[edit]
The second edition was held from 9 to 11 January 2026.[4] Daily Dose reported that 74 competitors took part and described the competition format, including its beach sprint, surf-zone course and equipment restrictions.[10]
Forty heats were completed on the opening competition day in winds of approximately 25 knots.[10] SURF reported that the short races, beach running and combination of wave sailing and racing made the competition physically demanding.[11]
Anton Pain won the overall final ahead of Jesper Orth and defending winner Albert Pijoan. Karin Jaggi won the women's division.[10][11]
ABC News reported that windsurfers from overseas travelled to Geraldton for the event and described the Wave Rally as a community-based competition distinct from professional tour events.[2]
In February 2026, the Geraldton Guardian reported that plans for a third edition had been abandoned because of difficulties securing sufficient support.[12] The newspaper reported the following week that support from local businesses and members of the windsurfing community had enabled preparations for the event to resume.[13] Ngaarda Media also reported the return of the event in its statewide news bulletin on 4 March.[14]
Reception and wider use
[edit]Following the inaugural edition, Daily Dose published a post-event feature examining the competition's format, its similarities to windsurfing racing of the 1980s, its equipment restrictions and the use of windSUPs in light conditions.[1]
In November 2025, SURF revisited the event in a feature describing how the inaugural edition had operated and outlining the format ahead of the second edition.[4]
In April 2026, SURF reported that the World Windsurf Tour's expanded one-star grassroots competition programme was based on the Wave Rally format developed in Western Australia. The article said the programme was intended to allow windsurfing schools, clubs and local organisers to stage lower-cost competitions linked to the tour's international ranking system. SURF attributed the information about the programme to a World Windsurf Tour press release.[15]
In May 2026, Danish news outlet Limfjord Update reported that the Danish Open in Cold Hawaii held what it described as its first official Wave Rally. The competition combined a beach sprint with racing through the surf and a return to the beach. Rasmus Øgelund won ahead of Peter Gobisch and Michal Dziewiecki.[16]
Recognition
[edit]In September 2026, the Wave Rally World Championships received the Sport Promotion Award at the 2026 Australian Sailing WA Sailing Awards.[17]
Following the state award, organiser Paul van Bellen, representing the Wave Rally World Championships, was named one of three national finalists for the Sport Promotion Award at the 2026 Australian Sailing Awards.[18]
Winners
[edit]| Year | Overall winner | Women's winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 |  Albert Pijoan |
 Maria Schälin |
| 2026 |  Anton Pain |
Karin Jaggi |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Tillmanns, Christian (28 January 2025). "Wave Rally World Championships: Regatta mal anders – in Downunder". Daily Dose (in German). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Duffy, Piper (14 January 2026). "Geraldton windsurfer Sarah Kenyon crowned U18 junior world champion". ABC News. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Ruthven, Rebecca (18 September 2026). "Geraldton's Wave Rally World Championship wins Sport Promotion Award at 2026 Western Australian Sailing Awards". Geraldton Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Fun contest in Geraldton: Wave Rally 2026 – Three questions for Paul van Bellen". SURF. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "Wave Rally World Championships". Windsurf Journal (in French). 22 March 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Tillmanns, Christian; Vorpahl, Ose (19 November 2024). "Wave Rally". Daily Dose (in German). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Frauen, Tobias (14 December 2024). "Youtuber, drone filmmaker and podcaster: Paul van Bellen in an interview – "I want to give something back to windsurfing"". SURF. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Lawson, Luke (10 January 2025). "Windsurfing: Wave Rally World Championships hit the windy shores of the Mid West". Geraldton Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Lawson, Luke (15 January 2025). "Wave Rally World Championships: Windsurfing stars shine on the windy shores of Coronation Beach near Geraldton". Midwest Times. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Tillmanns, Christian (21 January 2026). "Wave Rally". Daily Dose (in German). Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Wave Rally: Fun contest with top conditions – Karin Jaggi ahead of Helena Lale". SURF. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Ruthven, Rebecca (27 February 2026). "Lack of local support sees popular Wave Rally World Championships cancelled after two gripping editions". Geraldton Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Ruthven, Rebecca (4 March 2026). "Wave Rally: Local businesses and windsurfing community rallies around organisers to revive popular event". Geraldton Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "Ngaarda Statewide News Wednesday 4th March 2026". Ngaarda Media. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "Surf schools and clubs: World Windsurf Tour wants to promote young talent with one-star events". SURF. 1 April 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "Hæsblæsende wave rally satte fart på Danish Open i Cold Hawaii". Limfjord Update (in Danish). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Australian Sailing - WA. "2026 Australian Sailing WA Sailing Awards – Sport Promotion Award". Facebook. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "Finalists Named for 2026 Australian Sailing Awards". Australian Sailing. 28 September 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.