Royal Geelong Yacht Club to host 2024 Fireball World Championships

Gul Fireball World Championship at Lough Derg © Oisín Higgins

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC), in cooperation with the International Fireball Association (FI), is pleased to announce Geelong as the host venue for the Fireball World Championship to be held in February of 2024.

Combining the perfect sailing conditions of Corio Bay with the proximity to some of Australia's greatest tourist destinations, such as the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles and The Bellarine, this will be the first time Australia has hosted the event since 2012.

Event Chair, Fireball sailor and RGYC Board Member Brendan Garner is delighted to welcome international regattas back to Geelong after two years of uncertainty caused by 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".

2024's Summer of Sailing will see Geelong returning to pre-Covid levels of sailing activity with the keelboats at Festival of Sails in January, International Fireball World Championships in February followed by the Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong in March.

These World Championships mark the first time since Covid that the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and the Geelong community will welcome back a truly international sailing event.

The Fireball is a high-performance, two-person dinghy offering exciting sailing, intense competition, and a great social atmosphere off the water. With 18 National associations in Australia, Europe, North America, and Asia, the 2024 Worlds are expected to be hotly contested by a strong international fleet.

Fireball Victoria President, Glenn Peverell said "We are looking forward to racing in Geelong. 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"

In addition to the 2024 World Championships, RGYC is hosting several lead-in events and coaching opportunities. The 2023 Victorian State Titles attracted interstate and out of town visitors to the region just 12 months out from the Championships and more are expected at events next spring.

Tracy Carter, Executive Director of Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine said, "The Fireballs Worlds add to Geelong's growing portfolio of major international events. We welcome back international participants and visitors to Geelong and the Bellarine. This is an ideal location with many visitor drawcards including award-winning wineries, boutique food producers and outdoor adventures for family fun."

City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Trent Sullivan said, "Corio Bay is synonymous with sailing and it will be fantastic to see world-class action return for the first time since the pandemic. Geelong is a destination of choice for major events, and our co-hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a signal to the world that we're ready and capable of supporting any level of activity."

For competitors the Notice of Race (NoR) will be issued in April 2023 keep an eye on our website 2024.fireballworlds.com.