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Thursday, October 15: The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship is making its return to Olbia, the beloved Sardinian city that has established itself as the sport’s spiritual home, for the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy, the final round of the 2026 season. 

A press conference this morning opened the race’s proceedings, with the Mayor of Olbia Settimo Nizzi addressing the assembled media alongside H2O Racing CEO Raimondo di San Germano. The Mayor expressed his pleasure at having Aquabike back in his city yet again, and shared di San Germano’s delight at having seen Olbia establish itself as the home of Aquabike and a well-known international destination for watersports, a fulfillment of the original vision the two parties had when Aquabike first started racing in the city in 2018.

The race will once again take place in front of Olbia’s esplanade, giving local crowds a clear, beautiful vantage point from which to enjoy the competition. The program is a packed one, since alongside the GP1 categories, Olbia will host the single-round World Championship races for the categories of Ski GP2, GP3, and GP4, and Runabout GP2, GP4, and GP4 Ladies.

Across all categories, a total of 160 riders have registered for the Grand Prix, surpassing even last year’s exceptionally high tally of 154 riders. Between them, they represent 27 nations covering all corners of the globe, including Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and almost two dozen European countries.

On-water action begins tomorrow morning – Friday 16 – with Free Practice and Pole Position taking place from 10am. The first Moto 1 races then start at 4.45pm that afternoon, continuing into Saturday morning which then sees Moto 2 races. The final Motos of the Grand Prix, and with that the 2026 season, take place throughout Sunday 18, with Olbia’s winners crowned alongside the year’s World Champions from 6pm.