From 10 to 16 May 2026, the Soling class sailing world championship was held in Balatonfüred, Hungary, bringing together 30 crews from 12 countries. The international competition was marked by a challenging regatta field on Lake Balaton, where sailors competed in conditions ranging from strong to moderate winds. Slovenia was represented by the crew SLO 1 consisting of prof. dr. Boštjan Antončič, Gennadi Strakh and Massimo Cattaneo with the sailboat A.D. Starše. In ten races, the Slovenian team achieved the results of DNC, 13th, 10th, 11th, 16th, UFD, 17th, 16th, 7th and 17th place, which brought them 16th place in the overall ranking. Particularly noteworthy is the 7th place in the ninth race and the disqualification at the start (UFD) in the sixth race, when they were ranked 4th, which were key moments of the championship.  

The World Championship offered tense and tactically demanding sailing until the last regatta. After the ninth race, it was clear that the decision on the world champion title would only be made in the final race. The home Hungarian crew Process Solutions HUN 11 (Litkey-Vezer-Wossala) remained in the fight for the top with excellent sailing on home waters. In the last race, the German crew GER 339, led by Donald Lippert, recorded a victory, but this was not enough for the overall victory. The Hungarian team HUN 11 maintained its lead by finishing in 6th place and won its sixth world championship title in the Soling class with a difference of two points. Crews from three countries made it to the final podium: Hungary, Germany, and Austria, while crews from five countries and two continents were represented in the top five: Hungary, Germany, Austria, Brazil, and Ukraine. This confirms the exceptional international breadth and quality of the competition in the Soling class. For the Slovenian crew SLO 1, participating in the world championship was an important experience in an exceptionally high-quality international competition.