A New Era in Watersports – Introducing the Global Wingsports Association (GWA)

In the past years, the watersports world has witnessed the birth of a new sport: wing-foiling, also known as wing-surfing or wing- boarding. Wing-foiling has attracted a huge number of fans and practitioners in a short period of time because of its accessibility, ease of use and steep learning curve, and is now one of the fastest growing segments of watersports worldwide.

So today, we are proud to introduce the Global Wingsports Association, the world’s first international wingsports association with the aim to provide one hub for all wing-related matters: representation for brands members, competitive athletes and recreational athletes as well as information for the interested public.

To ensure a sustainable growth of the sport both in terms of industry development and access to beaches and waterways, and to enable watersports enthusiasts around the globe to practice this new sport in the safest way possible, the Global Wingsports Association aims to develop guidelines, information and infrastructure in cooperation with national federations, schools and equipment manufacturers.
Another major goal of the GWA is the development of an international competition format for the multiple disciplines of wing-foiling.

Composed of internationally renowned watersports manufacturers, with its founding members Airush, Cabrinha, Duotone, Fanatic, F-One, Manera, North, Ocean Rodeo and Slingshot, the GWA unites years of experience and knowledge in product development and manufacturing, providing a strong and solid platform for the future of wingsports.

GWA Secretary General, Dr. Jörgen Vogt, explains the reasons behind founding the Global Wingsports Association: “With its increase in popularity and the steep rise in numbers of people practicing the new sport of wing-foiling / wing-surfing, we saw an increased request for an official body that is able to provide a platform for athletes and brands to build a prosperous and sustainable future for recreational as well as professional wingsports worldwide.”

Launch Celebrations and Wing Contests at Lake Silvaplana

To celebrate its official launch on 16th August 2020, the GWA has chosen the prestigious Engadinwind event at Lake Silvaplana in Switzerland. Engadinwind is one of the watersports events with the richest history in Europe, and the perfect opportunity for the Global Wingsports Association to present itself to the world for the first time, but the event has even more in store for the wing community this year: the GWA will co-host multi-discipline wing competitions at Engadinwind on 16th and 17th August, with wing races and wing- freestyle contests on both days.

Titouan Galea strapped in new Caledonia.

And Balz Müller