Windsurfing is most popular in France, the US, Spain and Germany. All 11 countries ranked by riders, famous spots and Olympic and world tour results.
Windsurfing combines sailing, surfing and a lot of athletic power. It is a mass hobby on European lakes and coasts, a professional wave sport in Hawaii and the Canary Islands, and an Olympic discipline that has changed boards several times since 1984.
Below you will find the full ranking, a table with the key numbers, a profile of every country and a separate list of the nations that have won the most Olympic windsurfing medals.
Countries where windsurfing is most popular:
- France
- United States
- Spain
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Greece
- Brazil
- South Africa
Windsurfing Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | Olympic windsurfing medals | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | France | 7 | Olympic windsurfing medals and a huge coastal scene |
| #2 | United States | 3 | Birthplace of the sport, Maui and Hookipa |
| #3 | Spain | 1 | Pozo Izquierdo, Tarifa, Marina Alabau |
| #4 | Germany | 1 | Big recreational scene, Sylt and the Baltic |
| #5 | Netherlands | 6 | Dorian van Rijsselberghe, four Olympic golds |
| #6 | Italy | 5 | Alessandra Sensini, Marta Maggetti, Lake Garda |
| #7 | Australia | 2 | Grae Morris silver in Paris, windy west coast |
| #8 | United Kingdom | 6 | Nick Dempsey and Emma Wilson |
| #9 | Greece | 2 | Nikos Kaklamanakis, Aegean wind |
| #10 | Brazil | 0 | Northeast trade winds around Fortaleza |
| #11 | South Africa | 0 | Cape Town winds and Langebaan lagoon |
How We Ranked the Countries
There is no reliable worldwide count of windsurfers, so we weighed what can be checked: the strength of each country’s sailing and windsurfing scene, famous windsurfing spots and professional events, and results at the Olympics and on the world tour. Countries with a strong recreational culture but few medals, such as Germany, rank higher than their results alone would suggest.
The comparable number in the glance table is the total of Olympic windsurfing medals from 1984 to 2024, counted from the Wikipedia lists of Olympic sailing medallists by class. It covers the Windglider (1984), Division II (1988), Lechner A-390 (1992), Mistral One Design (1996 to 2004), RS:X (2008 to 2020) and iQFoil (2024) events. Spots and event details come from the professional tours and the national sources named in the text.
#1 France
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Franck David, Faustine Merret, Charline Picon
- 🏆 Golds: 1992, 2004 and 2016
- 📅 Recent: Thomas Goyard and Charline Picon won silver at Tokyo 2020
- 🌊 Coast: Atlantic, Channel and Mediterranean spots
France shares the highest number of Olympic windsurfing medals with New Zealand, seven, won between 1992 and 2020. Franck David won the men’s Lechner A-390 in 1992, Faustine Merret won the women’s Mistral in 2004 and Charline Picon the women’s RS:X in 2016.
The country has windy coasts on three seas, and sailing and windsurfing schools are part of the summer holiday tradition. Picon added silver at Tokyo 2020, where the men’s silver also went to France through Thomas Goyard.
#2 United States
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 2 silver, 1 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Robby Naish, Mike Gebhardt, Angela Cochran
- 🌺 Hawaii: Hookipa on Maui hosts the Aloha Classic, the wave-sailing finale
- 📅 Origin: Modern windsurfing boards were developed in California in the 1960s
- 🏆 Hookipa: Naish and Morgan Noireaux share the men’s record of four Aloha Classic titles
Hawaii is the spiritual home of professional wave windsurfing. Hookipa Beach Park on Maui has hosted the Aloha Classic for more than 40 years. Robby Naish has four Aloha Classic wins, a record Morgan Noireaux matched in 2025, and Angela Cochran won four women’s titles.
In the Olympics, American windsurfers have won three medals: Scott Steele took silver in 1984, Mike Gebhardt won bronze in 1988 and silver in 1992. The mainland scene is smaller than Europe’s but strong along the Columbia River Gorge and in California.
#3 Spain
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 1 gold
- ⭐ Stars: Marina Alabau, Daida and Iballa Moreno, Marc Pare
- 🏝️ Canaries: Pozo Izquierdo has hosted a World Cup for more than 30 years
- 🏆 World wave title: Marc Pare won the men’s world wave title in 2025
- 📅 Equal pay: Pozo paid men and women equal prize money from 2018
Spain, and above all the Canary Islands, is the main winter destination for European windsurfers. Pozo Izquierdo on Gran Canaria celebrated 30 years of PWA World Cups in 2018, and since 2012 the event has been run by the twins Daida and Iballa Moreno. In 2018 it became the first tour event to pay men and women equal prize money.
On the water, Marina Alabau won the women’s RS:X gold at London 2012, Spain’s only Olympic windsurfing medal. Marc Pare won the men’s PWA wave world title in 2025, his first. Tarifa on the mainland coast is another well-known windsurfing town.
#4 Germany
the original image Robby Naish a.jpg was contrast enhanced by Kuebi 06:07, 15 October 2007 (UTC) to give this version., Robby Naish a-1, scaling by sportsfoundation.org, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 1 silver
- ⭐ Medallist: Amelie Lux won silver at Sydney 2000
- 🌊 Spots: North Sea, Baltic and inland lakes
- 🏆 Event: Sylt hosts a long-running windsurfing World Cup
- 📅 Market: One of the biggest windsurfing equipment markets in Europe
Germany is one of the biggest windsurfing nations in Europe by participation, even though its Olympic record is modest: Amelie Lux won silver in the women’s Mistral at Sydney 2000. The sport boomed in the 1980s and 1990s, and many German windsurfers now travel to Spain, Greece and Denmark every year.
At home, the North Sea island of Sylt hosts a windsurfing World Cup, and the Baltic coast and inland lakes keep thousands of riders active every summer. German brands and magazines have long shaped the equipment market.
#5 Netherlands
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 4 gold, 2 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Dorian van Rijsselberghe, Kiran Badloe, Luuc van Opzeeland
- 🏆 Golds: 1984, 2012, 2016 and 2020
- 📅 Paris 2024: Van Opzeeland won men’s iQFoil bronze
- 🌬️ Conditions: Windy coast and large inland lakes
The Netherlands has won more Olympic windsurfing gold medals than any other country, four from 1984 to 2020. Stephan van den Berg won in 1984, Dorian van Rijsselberghe won the RS:X in 2012 and 2016 and Kiran Badloe followed in 2020.
Luuc van Opzeeland carried the success into the iQFoil era with bronze at Paris 2024 and the world title at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague. The flat, windy coast and the large lakes make the country a natural training ground.
#6 Italy
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Alessandra Sensini, Marta Maggetti
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Maggetti won women’s iQFoil gold
- 📅 Sensini: Four Olympic medals between 1996 and 2008
- 🌊 Spot: Lake Garda
Italy has won five Olympic windsurfing medals, built on Alessandra Sensini, who took bronze in 1996, gold in 2000, bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008. Marta Maggetti kept the tradition alive by winning the women’s iQFoil at Paris 2024.
Lake Garda in the north of the country is a favourite summer spot with reliable afternoon winds, and Italian riders also dominate parts of the foil circuit.
#7 Australia
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 1 silver, 1 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Grae Morris, Lars Kleppich
- 🏆 Paris 2024: Morris won silver in the men’s iQFoil
- 📅 Earlier: Kleppich won bronze in 1992
- 🌊 Coast: Windy west and south coasts
Australia has a long coastline with reliable summer winds, and windsurfing is a popular beach sport. Lars Kleppich won bronze in the Lechner A-390 in 1992, and Grae Morris took silver in the men’s iQFoil at Paris 2024.
Western Australia around Perth and the southern coast have the best-known wind conditions, and the country has a steady flow of riders who also compete on the international wave and race tours.
#8 United Kingdom
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 2 silver, 4 bronze
- ⭐ Stars: Nick Dempsey, Bryony Shaw, Emma Wilson
- 🏆 Dempsey: Bronze in 2004 and silver in 2012 and 2016
- 📅 Wilson: Bronze at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024
- 🌊 Spots: Southwest England, Wales and Scotland
Britain has won six Olympic windsurfing medals, none of them gold. Nick Dempsey took bronze in 2004 and silver in both 2012 and 2016, Bryony Shaw won bronze in 2008 and Emma Wilson won bronze in both 2020 and 2024.
The scene is built around coastal clubs in southern England and Wales, and the UK Sailing and RYA pathways feed the Olympic squad.
#9 Greece
- 🏄 Olympic medals: 1 gold, 1 silver
- ⭐ Star: Nikos Kaklamanakis
- 🏆 Golds: 1996 Mistral
- 📅 Athens 2004: Kaklamanakis won silver and lit the Olympic cauldron
- 🌊 Spots: Aegean islands such as Paros
Greece’s windsurfing identity rests on Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, who won the men’s Mistral at Atlanta 1996 and silver at the Athens Games in 2004. He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2004 opening ceremony.
The Aegean’s strong summer meltemi wind makes the islands popular with windsurfers, and the island of Paros is a regular stop on the professional freestyle tour.
#10 Brazil
- 🏄 Olympic medals: None
- 🌬️ Winds: Steady trade winds from July to January
- 📍 Spots: Cumbuco and the northeast coast
- 🌍 Reach: Popular with European winter visitors
- 🏆 Status: Recreational and tourism scene
Brazil has no Olympic windsurfing medal, but its northeast coast has some of the most reliable trade winds in the world. Cumbuco near Fortaleza is known for windsurfing and kitesurfing, and many European riders spend the winter there.
The scene is built around tourism and local schools, and it is bigger on the water than in the rankings.
#11 South Africa
- 🏄 Olympic medals: None
- 📍 Spots: Cape Town and the Langebaan lagoon
- 🌬️ Season: Windy summers on the Western Cape
- 🌍 Reach: Popular with European winter visitors
- 🏆 Status: Recreational and tourism scene
South Africa has no Olympic windsurfing medal, but the Western Cape is a well-known winter destination for European riders, with strong summer winds around Cape Town and flat water in the Langebaan lagoon.
The sport is strongest around Cape Town, where a local scene and visiting riders share the best spots.
Which Countries Are Best at Windsurfing?
Windsurfing has been part of the Olympic sailing programme since 1984. This table counts all Olympic windsurfing medals from 1984 to 2024, counted from the Wikipedia lists of Olympic sailing medallists by class. Medals won by the Netherlands Antilles and other small teams are left out of the main table.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| France | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| China | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Israel | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Greece | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Great Britain | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| United States | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Argentina | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Other Countries Where Windsurfing Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have a strong windsurfing record.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | Three Olympic golds through Bruce Kendall, Barbara Kendall and Tom Ashley. |
| Israel | Gal Fridman won gold in 2004 and Tom Reuveny won the men’s iQFoil at Paris 2024. |
| China | Two Olympic golds, from Yin Jian in 2008 and Lu Yunxiu in 2020. |
| Denmark | A major summer destination for German and Dutch windsurfers on the Jutland coast. |
More About Windsurfing
FAQ
Which country is best at windsurfing?
The Netherlands has the most Olympic windsurfing gold medals with four, ahead of France and New Zealand with three each. France and New Zealand have the most medals overall with seven each.
Where is windsurfing most popular?
It is most popular in coastal Europe (France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands) and in Hawaii, where Hookipa on Maui hosts the Aloha Classic.
Where is the best place to windsurf?
Experts often name Hookipa on Maui for waves, Pozo Izquierdo on Gran Canaria for wind and waves, and Lake Garda or the Greek islands for holidays.
Who has won the most Olympic windsurfing medals?
Alessandra Sensini of Italy won four medals between 1996 and 2008, according to the Wikipedia lists. Nick Dempsey of Britain and Barbara Kendall of New Zealand each won three.
Is windsurfing still an Olympic sport?
Yes. Windsurfing was introduced in 1984 and the iQFoil foil board was used at Paris 2024. Tom Reuveny of Israel and Marta Maggetti of Italy won the gold medals.
Where was windsurfing invented?
Modern windsurfing boards were developed in the United States in the 1960s. It became a mass sport in Europe in the 1980s.
Which country has the best windsurfers on the wave tour?
Spain, France and the United States share the wave tour. Marc Pare of Spain won the 2025 men’s world wave title at the Aloha Classic on Maui.
