Borkum will become the meeting place for the international kiteboarding scene next summer: From June 3rd to 7th, 2026, the California GKA Kiteboarding Freestyle World Cup Borkum will celebrate its premiere on Germany's westernmost North Sea island. This marks the first time a professional world cup for a board sport will be held in Lower Saxony. As part of the GKA Kite World Tour, the world's best freestyle kiteboarders will compete directly off the beach for crucial world ranking points and €25.000 in prize money.
During the Corpus Christi week, Borkum transforms into an international hotspot for the kiteboarding community. Numerous top athletes from around the world are expected to compete against each other in the spectacular freestyle discipline.
Freestyle is considered one of the most technically demanding disciplines in kiteboarding: With a twin-tip board under their feet, riders accelerate on the water, explosively launch themselves from the surface, and perform complex combinations of tricks in the air, including rotations, kiteloops, and precise handle passes. The competition uses a knockout system: In short, intense heats, athletes present their trick sequences to an international jury and fight their way round by round to the final. Heats are individual competition rounds in which several riders compete against each other within a set time limit and are judged by the judges based on their tricks.
With this new tour stop, Borkum joins a list of established venues of the GKA World Tour – including international spots in Brazil, France, Spain, Chile, Mexico, Morocco, Kenya or the United Arab Emirates, as well as renowned German locations such as Sylt or St. Peter-Ording.
In addition to the sporting competition, visitors can expect a comprehensive event program directly on the Borkum promenade. The approximately 300-meter-long event village is being built right in front of the North Sea Aquarium and offers an unobstructed view of the competitions on the water. Planned activities include free yoga sessions,
Family activities, creative hands-on offers, as well as interviews, autograph sessions and kite talks on the event stage.
The program is complemented by pop-up stores with fashion and beach accessories, the California Vanlife Expo featuring the latest vehicles from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and a diverse range of catering options. Event parties with DJs and live acts round out the program.
With its expansive sandy beach, consistent wind conditions, and short distances, the North Sea island offers ideal conditions for international water sports events. The combination of natural scenery, infrastructure, and a vibrant island atmosphere makes Borkum a perfect location for a new stop on the international kiteboarding tour.
"We are delighted to announce that, together with the island of Borkum and the GKA, we are bringing the Kiteboarding World Cup to Lower Saxony for the first time. Visitors and residents of Borkum can look forward to spectacular sport and a mega-event on land over the Corpus Christi weekend.“ says Matthias Regber of Choppy Water GmbH, which is responsible for the organization of the California Kiteboarding World Cup Borkum.
"A new stop on the GKA World Tour and the return of freestyle to Germany: The Kiteboarding World Cup Borkum is bringing a breath of fresh air to the professional circuit. We are delighted that Choppy Water GmbH, following the successful GKA Youth Kite World Championship last year, is now organizing a genuine professional World Cup in Germany.says Jörgen Vogt, Secretary General GKA Kite World Tour.
"Borkum is synonymous with stunning natural beauty and active leisure pursuits. The island thus provides the perfect setting for water sports. The Kiteboarding World Cup Borkum will showcase the island's strengths to a global audience. We are delighted to attract the world's best kiteboarders to Borkum. For our residents and visitors, the Corpus Christi week will be a very special highlight of the summer events calendar.“ says Pia Hosemann as tourism director of Nordseeheilbad Borkum GmbH.
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