Sardinia’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda has opened the door to one of sailing’s most ambitious youth programmes, and the stakes are genuine. Four slots. Up to 10 more development spots. A pathway that leads straight into Olympic foiling and professional sailing careers. From July through September, young Italian sailors aged 18 to 25 can throw their hats into the ring.
The Young Azzurra programme isn’t marketing bluster. Look at what’s already there. Maddalena Spanu competes in Wing Foil and iQFOiL, Federico Pilloni races iQFOiL, and Cesare Barabino pilots the ILCA 7. These aren’t names on a roster. They’re sailors who’ve posted results that matter internationally, which makes the programme’s track record clear. When YCCS backs young talent, something real happens.
The application process runs until 30 September 2026, with entries submitted online. Candidates need to bring more than raw ability. The evaluation committee, packed with seasoned sailing figures and club representatives, wants to see a structured sporting project with genuine objectives. They’re looking for ambition, yes, but also feasibility. Can you actually do what you say you’ll do? Is your plan built on solid training? Does it have room to grow?
What makes this different from the usual talent hunt is the scale of support on offer. Selected athletes receive technical guidance, organisational backing, and direct financial help to develop their competitive careers. Ten runners-up get access to club regattas and programmes designed to ease them into professional sailing’s world. That’s not consolation prizes. That’s a genuine second chance for sailors who come close but don’t crack the top four.
The committee will weigh applications across several dimensions. They care about the project’s ability to drive sporting development and inspire others. They look hard at how sustainable your approach is, whether it shows genuine innovation, and whether training sits at its centre rather than the margins. Practical feasibility matters as much as ambition. Grand plans that crumble under scrutiny won’t get you anywhere.
YCCS will announce the new cohort in 2027, coinciding with the club’s 60th anniversary. That timing suggests the club sees this as a milestone moment. These four athletes will carry the Smeralda name forward as ambassadors, competing on the international stage and raising Italian sailing’s profile.
For anyone in New Zealand following Olympic foiling classes or the wing foil revolution, this programme is worth watching. The athletes emerging from Porto Cervo tend to compete at the highest levels, and their development path offers a template for what structured, well-funded youth sailing can produce. If you’re between 18 and 25, registered with the Italian sailing federation, and carrying a viable project, the conversation starts at www.callforyoungsailors.it.
