The curtain officially closed on the first edition of the European Dream Cup, after two intense weeks of learning, socialising and sailing for the 60 young sailors who gathered in Gargnano, on Lake Garda. They were busy learning about foiling, sustainability, inclusion and digitalisation. After a week of training, the 10 teams, representing yacht clubs from 10 different European nations, competed in their first foiling races, demonstrating
surprising skill in this new discipline. The results on the water, combined with points earned through land-based activities such as beach cleaning and quizzes following the seminars, culminated in a ranking that led to a joyous awards ceremony at the Circolo Vela Gargano, where all participants felt like winners.
participants felt like winners. After a full day of racing yesterday, with three races held for the Silver Fleet and four for the Gold Fleet, DutchSail emerged as the triumphant team, taking first place on the podium. They were followed by Austria’s UYC Wolfgangsee and Denmark’s Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub.

The “EUROPEAN DREAM CUP” has officially begun. The project led by Circolo Vela Gargnano and made possible thanks to the support of the European Union under the Erasmus Sport measure, unites 10 sailing clubs from all over Europe to celebrate sailing as an inclusive sport.

The EUROPEAN DREAM CUP is a new format of international regatta, a major non-profit sporting event, which in the summer of 2023 will bring together 10 crews composed of young people under 20 years of age from 10 European countries, that will be hosted on Lake Garda in Gargnano (BS), an internationally renowned sailing spot. But the project is already kicking off today, in particular with the kick-off meeting between the partners and the organisational steps to involve the schools. In fact, one of the project’s peculiarities is the aim to spread and promote the culture of sailing also outside clubs, reaching 12,500 students in 10 different European countries.  The objective is to create and disseminate a vademecum for a new innovative model of participation in a sports event dedicated to young people at European level, which can be replicated for future sports events with the same objectives in other EU countries.

The project aims to: encourage sporting activity among young people, in particular adolescents; improve the psychophysical health of young people; raise awareness among young people on environmental issues related to sustainability; promote social inclusion by recruiting volunteers in disadvantaged areas; try to curb sporting drop-out among adolescents through the emotional experience of foiling; involve young athletes with a focus on equal opportunities and gender diversity; promote networking at both local and European level; encourage the exchange of expertise among EU partners.