Geelong announced as Fireball World Champs host

THE 2024 Fireball World Championships will make its way to Corio Bay early next year, marking the first time since 2012 that Australia will hold the global event.

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC), in partnership with the International Fireball Association (FI), has announced Geelong will act as the host venue for the Fireball World Championship from February 9-16, 2024.

Event chair, Fireball sailor and RGYC board member Brendan Garner said he was looking forward to welcoming the city’s first international regatta back to Geelong after two years due to the pandemic.

“Geelong is perfectly positioned to host the upcoming Fireball World Championships.

“With easy access to Melbourne for travel and logistics, world-class sailing and as a tourist destination, our visiting sailors and families are in for a treat.”

The announcement of the World Championships places the event between two of the region’s biggest sailing events, making for a true “Summer of Sailing”.

Geelong’s Festival of Sails will kick off the summer in January, the International Fireball World Championships will follow in February, before the Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong takes place in March.

Fireball Victoria president Glenn Peverell described Fireball as a high-performance, two-person dinghy sport that offered an exciting brand of sailing, intense competition, and a great social atmosphere off the water.

“We are looking forward to racing in Geelong,” Peverell said.

“It’s a great opportunity for new sailors to join the class and compete in a nationals and a worlds. We invite new sailors to join and old sailors to dust off their boats and come for the fun.”

Fireball sailing is made up of 18 national associations in Australia, Europe, North America, and Asia.

The 2024 Worlds are expected to be hotly contested by a strong international fleet.

For more on the event, head to 2024.fireballworlds.com