The Italian event brought together competition, local collaboration, social commitment, and a high sporting level in an event promoted by Club SUP Academy.
Taranto, Italy. The European SUP League held the second event of its 2026 circuit in Taranto with the Lido Gandoli SUP Race, an event that once again highlighted the growth of Stand Up Paddle in Europe and Italy’s ability to host top-level international events.
The event brought together athletes from different categories during a weekend marked by a high competitive level, good sea conditions in the beach area, and solid organisational work. The Italian race represented another key stop on the European SUP League calendar, following the season opener in Santa Pola, and helped define the first sporting benchmarks of the circuit.
Taranto rises to the organisational challenge
The European SUP League would like to give special recognition to the entire team of Club SUP Academy, whose involvement was essential in making the event possible. The organisation highly values the response received after the effort involved in hosting an ESL event, both from the athletes and from the clubs, partners, volunteers, and attending public.
The joint effort made it possible to deliver a well-managed competition, reinforcing Taranto’s position as a venue with great potential within the European SUP circuit. Local involvement, athlete care, and coordination throughout the different days were key to the smooth running of the sporting programme.
Demanding competition in Technical Race and Long Distance
The event featured both Technical Race and Long Distance competitions. The beach area offered very good sea conditions, encouraging fast, technical, and highly contested races.
In the long-distance race, strong easterly wind gusts added an extra level of difficulty to the course, making the circuit more demanding and testing the endurance, strategy, and technical skills of the participants. The combination of favourable sea conditions and intense wind turned the competition into a complete challenge for all categories.
In the Technical Race, the elite victories went to Cecilia Pampinella in the women’s category and Donato Freens in the men’s category. Pampinella led the women’s podium ahead of Sveva Sabato and Claudia Postiglione, while Freens took victory in the men’s race ahead of Nicolò Vincenzo Ricco and Filippo Mercuriali.
In the Long Distance, the elite wins also went to Cecilia Pampinella and Donato Freens, confirming their outstanding performance in Taranto. In the women’s category, Pampinella was joined on the podium by Sveva Sabato and Claudia Postiglione; in the men’s category, Freens finished ahead of Nicolò Vincenzo Ricco and Filippo Mercuriali.
The event also featured broad participation across youth, master, kahuna, inflatable, and ParaSUP categories, reaffirming its inclusive, competitive, and multigenerational character.
Federation support and sponsor commitment
The Lido Gandoli SUP Race also received the support and participation of the Italian Surfing Federation, whose presence helped consolidate the event and strengthen the role of Stand Up Paddle within the Italian sporting landscape.
The European SUP League would also like to thank its sponsors and partners for their commitment: Convotis, NSP, Black Fish, and Quickblade, Treasute AI y Muller Property brands that continue to support the development of European SUP and the construction of a competitive, international circuit with strong future prospects.
A charitable closing with the Blue Race
The event concluded with the Blue Race, a charity race that provided the perfect closing touch to the Lido Gandoli SUP Race. This initiative reinforced the social character of the event and brought the Taranto stop to a close with an open, participatory activity aligned with the values of community, sport, and commitment promoted by the European SUP League.
The Blue Race added a special dimension to the end of the weekend, reminding everyone that Stand Up Paddle is not only about competition, but also a tool for social connection, awareness, and collective participation.
Taranto strengthens the European calendar
With this second event of the season, the European SUP League continues to consolidate its sporting project in Europe. The Lido Gandoli SUP Race leaves a very positive overall balance, both because of the level of the athletes and the involvement of the local organisation, as well as the support received from institutions, sponsors, and partners.
The European SUP League once again thanks Club SUP Academy Taranto, the Italian Surfing Federation, Convotis, NSP, Black Fish, and Quickblade, as well as all athletes, clubs, volunteers, and everyone who made the event possible.
Taranto thus closes an event marked by competition, collaboration, and charitable commitment, confirming itself as a venue with great capacity to continue growing within the European Stand Up Paddle calendar.