Europe to Asia: IOM Focus Shifts to Inaugural Asian Championship in Qingdao
Fresh off the back of a thrilling 2025 IOM European Championship in Rogoznica, Croatia — which saw the highest number of sailors ever to compete in an international IOM event — attention now shifts to Asia for the next major chapter in an extraordinary year for the International One Metre class.
The inaugural IOM Asian Continental Championship will be held in Qingdao, China from 25–30 April 2025, and is already shaping up to be a high-calibre regatta. Entrants have been confirmed from across the region and beyond, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Croatia, and of course, the host nation China.
Among the competitors is none other than Zvonko Jelacic, the reigning IOM World Champion from Croatia, fresh from a strong showing at the Europeans. His participation adds further weight to the significance of this event, and presents an exciting challenge for regional sailors aiming to make their mark on the international stage.
Qingdao — a city steeped in Olympic sailing history — is expected to deliver a spectacular racing environment with steady breezes and first-class facilities. As the first continental championship in Asia, the event marks a major milestone in the IOM class’s ongoing global growth.
But the story of 2025 doesn’t end there.
Later in the year, the IOM Oceania Championship will also make its debut, hosted at the stunning Lake Pegasus in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 29 September to 4 October 2025. This inaugural event will bring together top talent from across the Pacific, continuing the IOM’s impressive expansion of Continental events into new regions.
From there, the IOM fleet heads to South America, where Brazil will host the 2025 IOM South American Championship from 27 October to 1 November in Porto Alegre, followed closely by the 2025 IOM North American Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, from 16–21 November.
These events round out what is undeniably a landmark year for the IOM class, with all four continents — Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas — hosting major international championships for the first time in a single calendar year.
As the IOM community continues to grow and thrive around the world, 2025 is shaping up as a true celebration of global radio sailing — uniting sailors from every corner of the globe in pursuit of excellence, camaraderie, and competition.
Australian's can be part of this, spaces are still available for those wishing to participate in the IOM Oceania Continental Championship, details are available on this website or iomoceania.com