Inaugural World Foiling Congress promotes new research

The first World Foiling Congress, produced by The Foiling Organization, was attended by 220 professionals from 16 countries in Italy last week.

The event comprised 11 discussion panels, led by 25 international experts and coordinated by The Foiling Organization’s board of directors. Topics covered included insurance, certification, laws and regulations, intellectual property protection, global market data and trends, industry promotion, market access, safety, research and innovation.

During the conference, The Foiling Organization announced three initiatives: the first, starting in 2025, concerning the organisation of a Foiling Expo initially dedicated to B2B with a focus on public transport; the second, concerning the collaboration with the Department of Mobility for a study concerning the implementation of public foiling transport in the Municipality of Genoa; and finally, the launch of an open-source academic research project involving universities and maritime research centres aimed at significantly reducing the risk of collision between floating ‘objects’ and boats.

Luca Rizzotti, founder and president of The Foiling Organization, explained that the guidelines and programmes of the association aim to be a strategic reference point for the world foiling industry.

From its headquarters in Genoa, The Foiling Organization will develop and implement projects to support the activities of all professional entities involved in foiling. “Becoming a member of The Foiling Organization means becoming part of a flywheel of technological, regulatory and promotional exchange,” says Rizzotti.

The seventh edition of the Foiling Awards was also held as part of the congress, with awards going to the best foiling athletes, projects and products of the past twelve months.

The City of Genoa expressed its appreciation and public recognition of the congress by granting its High Patronage. The Department of Facilities, Sports Activities and Tourism included the World Foiling Congress among the official events of the ‘Genoa 2024 Sports Capital’ programme.

Before his speech on the congress stage, the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, said: “I am extremely pleased and satisfied that an international conference on foiling, the new way of going to sea, has been held in Genoa. It is a technological novelty that will be able to give great business developments in the future, not to forget the applications to local public transport. For cities integrated with the sea like ours, foiling will guarantee considerable savings in terms of energy, consumption, and even time. There is a bright future ahead of us, also thanks to foiling.”

Many of the participants had the opportunity to meet informally during the networking cocktail held in the Porto Antico area. There was also the opportunity to visit some of the facilities of the Genova nautical compound, such as the Sangiorgio Marine shipyard and the Italian Institute of Technology, where the Pavis, Quantum Sails and iCub facility presentations took place.