The ILCA World Council held its annual fourth-quarter meeting in Qinhuangdao, China, from November 21 to 23, 2025, alongside the Technical and Measurement Committee meeting. All six Regional Chairs attended, along with the Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Chief Technical Officer, Field Operations Officer, and Builders’ Representative. A full quorum was confirmed. The meeting marked an important leadership change for the class. Outgoing President Tracy Usher delivered his final report after ten years in the role, and the Council elected new officers for the next term.
Leadership transition
Tracy Usher stepped down as President after leading ILCA through a period of major change, including the move to a global multi-builder system and the acquisition of the rights to the Build Manual. In recognition of his service, the World Council elected him to the ILCA Hall of Fame. Mark Lyttle (GBR) was elected as the new ILCA President. He had previously served as Vice President and as Europe’s second representative, and he took over as chair on the second day of the meeting. Aileen Loo (SGP) was elected Vice President by secret ballot. Virginia Kravarioti (GRE) was confirmed as Europe’s second representative, subject to formal confirmation by the European Region. Tracy Usher and Takao Otani were also appointed as non-voting members of the Technical and Measurement Committee. Treasurer Nick Page announced that he plans to step down at the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. The Council directed that a role description be prepared and an open recruitment process launched, with the goal of identifying a successor during the first half of 2026 so that there can be an overlap and orderly handover.
Technical and measurement matters
On the opening day, the World Council met jointly with the Technical and Measurement Committee and considered several technical items. The Council approved a proposal to move certain event-related equipment requirements out of the Class Rules and into a separate Event Equipment Regulations document, which would then be referenced in the Sailing Instructions. This follows World Sailing’s request to modernize the format of class rules. Chief Measurer Aileen Loo will lead a working group to develop the new document, with completion targeted for the first quarter of 2026. The Council also directed the formation of a small group to review available OCS detection technologies, including the Vakaros system tested at an event in Portugal earlier in the year. That group will return with a recommendation on possible implementation. Aileen Loo also presented her annual report on International Measurer assignments for the 2025 and 2026 World Championships. There are now 15 International Measurers, seven women and eight men, and the class is working toward broader regional coverage through 2028, especially in Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America. The Council also endorsed a procedural change under which International Measurer appointments for World Championships will be submitted to the Technical and Measurement Committee for endorsement at the annual meeting in the preceding year.
World Sailing relations and Olympic matters
The Council received an oral report on the 2025 World Sailing Annual Conference held the previous week in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. It discussed the Equipment Committee report prepared by chair Glen Stanaway and agreed to engage with World Sailing to correct aspects of the report relating to ILCA. The Council also discussed World Sailing’s guidance on AIN status for Russian and Belarusian competitors following a November 2025 Council vote allowing AIN athletes to compete in Olympic Classes events. The guidance was understood to be recommended rather than mandatory, leaving classes and event organizers’ discretion in how to apply it. Staff was directed to continue monitoring the issue and to prepare appropriate Notice of Race and Sailing Instruction language where needed. On Olympic equipment review, ILCA received further confirmation that it is not among the four events under review for the 2032 Olympic Games. In World Sailing’s evaluation rankings, the Men’s and Women’s Dinghy events, sailed in the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6, scored 80.7 out of 100, second only to the windsurfer.
Championships and future events
Field Operations Officer Andrus Poksi presented the Events Report, describing a strong 2025 championship season. All five major events were completed: the ILCA 6 Women’s and ILCA 7 Men’s World Championships in Qingdao, China; the ILCA 6 Men’s World Championship in Kiel, Germany, during Kiel Week; the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in San Pedro, Los Angeles; and the ILCA Under-21 World Championship in Dún Laoghaire. The season concluded with the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 Masters World Championships in Formia, Italy, which drew more than 445 competitors across nine fleets and three race areas. The oldest competitor was 89-year-old Claude Tigier of France. The 2026 championship calendar is fully contracted, with events scheduled in Spain, Greece, Ireland, Denmark, and Portugal. The Council also approved a motion to award the 2027 ILCA 4 Youth World Championship to Qinhuangdao, China. Planning for the 2027 and 2028 calendars is already underway.
Athlete forum and events committee
The Council approved the creation of an ILCA Athlete Forum to provide a structured link between sailors and the World Council. It will initially include six sailors, three men and three women, drawn from recent or current Olympic competitors. The intention is to improve communication with top-level athletes, with scope to include broader athlete groups over time. President Lyttle was asked to implement the structure and report back to the Council. President Lyttle also reconstituted the ILCA Events Committee, naming its members and directing that its first meeting be held before the first-quarter Council meeting. The committee will act in an advisory capacity and meet with staff at least quarterly.
Sustainability work
The Sustainability Committee presented both its report and a formal ILCA Sustainability Policy for Council consideration. In 2025, ILCA was named a “Clean Class” by Sailors for the Sea and is participating in World Sailing’s Life Cycle Assessment project for Olympic classes. The sustainability roadmap for 2026 includes work with Greenboats, Verretex, North Sails, and Starboard Blue, as well as additional internal life cycle assessment work with builders.
Financial report
Treasurer Nick Page reported that ILCA remains financially stable. The final result for 2024 was a cash surplus of $129,098. For 2025, the projected year-end result is approximately break-even on a cash basis. However, after depreciation of the ILCA licensing rights and scheduled loan repayments, the class expects a book loss of about $115,000, which is around $100,000 worse than budgeted. The 2026 budget projects a roughly break-even result and positive cash flow of just under $100,000 to begin rebuilding reserves. The Council also confirmed an inflation adjustment to the ILCA fee schedule. The Treasurer proposed that sustainability spending be treated as a separate budget line in the future rather than being absorbed into broader technical costs.
Operations and administration
Executive Secretary Eric Faust reported on a productive year for the class. One major project was the successful migration from the legacy laserinternational.org domain to ilcasailing.org, which was completed with minimal disruption to members and services. ILCA’s digital scanning program and technical oversight continue to be viewed by World Sailing as a model among Olympic classes. Membership remained stable overall, with Europe accounting for the largest share of members. A new part-time social media manager, Agustin Argüelles, has joined the team to strengthen communications and digital outreach. The Council also reviewed the regional plaque fee report, confirmed that allocations would be distributed as usual, and received updates from each Regional Chair on district activities and priorities.
Looking ahead
With a new President in place, a contracted championship calendar through 2028, strong Olympic positioning, and an expanding sustainability program, ILCA enters 2026 on a solid footing. The class also thanked the organizers and hosts in Qinhuangdao for the meeting and recognized Tracy Usher for his ten years of service as President.