2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals

The World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals are the global showcase for the discipline, the regatta where the fastest crews in the format are sorted out across a single weekend. The 2026 edition is held in Qingdao, China, from 17 to 20 October, on a sailing-rich stretch of the Yellow Sea coast.

Beach sprint racing strips the sport back to its rawest form. Athletes sprint down the sand, push off through the surf, slalom a buoyed offshore loop and drive back to a running finish on the beach, all in head-to-head knockout rounds. Tactics, boat handling and nerve count as much as raw power.

With the format on its way to the Olympic programme, the finals carry extra weight as the leading nations measure their strongest beach sprint crews against one another. Qingdao's open coastal water and shifting conditions make it a demanding place to settle a world title.