Lago del Salto Wakeboard Championships
From national titles to the IWWF World Championships: elite wakeboarding on the waters of the Sabina region
About Lago del Salto Wakeboard
The lake that became the home of Italian wakeboarding
Lago del Salto is the largest artificial reservoir in Lazio, created in the early 20th century with the construction of a dam on the Salto river for hydroelectric power. Nestled among the peaks of the Monti Navegna and Cervia Nature Reserve in the province of Rieti, it offers calm waters and a mountain backdrop that international federations consider among the best in Europe for towed water sports. It is here, in the municipality of Varco Sabino—specifically in the Grugnaleta area near the hamlet of Rocca Vittiana and just steps from the dam—that CNVS Wave operates, the club that has brought the most important wakeboard championships to the lake in recent years.
CNVS Wave, the Italian champion club
The Club Nautico Varco Sabino Wave is the sports club where the Italian National Team athletes train. Equipped with boats dedicated to wakeboarding and wakesurfing, it has become a technical benchmark for the entire movement. At the national category championships held on home turf, CNVS Wave was crowned Italian club champion in both 2024 and 2025, ahead of clubs from Lecco and Biella, confirming the vitality of a nursery that fields riders from children to over-40s.
From national titles to the World Championships
Lago del Salto already hosted the Wakeboard World Championships in 2022, with its logistics base in Borgo San Pietro, and the Absolute Italian Championships in 2023, featuring the Wake Zone Cup finals. In 2024 and 2025, it was time for the Italian Category Championships: the October 3–5, 2025 edition brought together 56 athletes from 10 clubs across Italy, from the youngest Under-9s to the Over-40 veterans, crowning Giulia Castelli and Mattia Del Fiandra in the Open divisions.
The 2026 IWWF World Championships
From August 3 to 8, 2026, the lake returns as the world capital of the discipline with the 2026 IWWF World Wakeboard Championships, organized by FISSW under the aegis of CONI and the IWWF. Ten world titles are up for grabs for men and women in the Under 14, Under 18, Open, Over 30 Master, Over 40 Veteran, and Over 50 Legends categories, plus the team title for nations. The Open division features a $50,000 prize pool, with $10,000 for the winner; the event holds a 6-star rating, the highest IWWF level, and features the Malibu M230 as the official boat. Competition days culminate in semifinals and finals over the weekend, including an opening ceremony, on-lake award presentations, and a closing banquet.
The Salto Valley and the Sabina region
The event is supported by the Lazio Region, the Province and Municipality of Rieti, the Salto Cicolano Mountain Community, and the Monti Navegna and Cervia Nature Reserve, with Borgo San Pietro serving as the nerve center for hospitality. For the public, it is also an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of inland Lazio: perched villages like Varco Sabino and Petrella Salto, hiking trails in the reserve, and genuine mountain gastronomy, all just over an hour from Rome.
Lago del Salto Wakeboard — edition 2026
Four years after the 2022 edition, the Wakeboard World Championships return to Lago del Salto, in the province of Rieti. The FISSW, under the aegis of CONI and the IWWF, is organizing a 6-star event from August 3 to 8, 2026—the highest international level—bringing national teams from all over the world to CNVS Wave.
The official program includes familiarization days on the course from Saturday, August 1 to Monday, August 3, with the opening ceremony on Monday evening, followed by five days of competition from Tuesday, August 4 to Saturday, August 8, with semifinals on Friday and finals on Saturday, followed by award ceremonies and the closing banquet. FISSW President Claudio Ponzani emphasized the honor of hosting the World Championships again in a special place for Italian wakeboarding, while the IWWF President praised the exceptional conditions of the Rieti basin.
The entire territory is mobilizing around the event: the Lazio Region, the Province and Municipality of Rieti, the Salto Cicolano Mountain Community, and the Monti Navegna and Cervia Nature Reserve, with Borgo San Pietro as the hospitality hub.
Programme Lago del Salto Wakeboard 2026
Official Program (IWWF/FISSW Bulletin 1):
- Saturday, August 1 & Sunday, August 2 — Official familiarization on the course (all day); registration closes Sunday at 6:00 PM.
- Monday, August 3 — Final familiarization day and opening ceremony.
- Tuesday, August 4 — Competition Day 1.
- Wednesday, August 5 — Competition Day 2.
- Thursday, August 6 — Competition Day 3 and riders' meeting.
- Friday, August 7 — Competition Day 4 with semifinals.
- Saturday, August 8 — Competition Day 5: finals, award ceremonies, and closing banquet.
- Sunday, August 9 — IWWF World Wakeboard Council meeting.
Competition categories (men's and women's): Under 14, Under 18, Open, Over 30 Master, Over 40 Veteran, Over 50 Legends, plus the team nation ranking.
Highlights Lago del Salto Wakeboard 2026
- Second Wakeboard World Championship on Lago del Salto following the 2022 edition
- $50,000 prize pool for men's and women's Open divisions ($10,000 to the winner)
- IWWF 6-star rating, the highest international level
- Official boat: Malibu M230
- Italian National Team competing on the home waters of CNVS Wave, the Italian champion club
Prices Lago del Salto Wakeboard 2026
Practical information — Lago del Salto Wakeboard
Location
The competitions take place on the waters of Lago del Salto in front of the CNVS Wave club, in the Grugnaleta area, Rocca Vittiana hamlet, in the municipality of Varco Sabino (RI), near the Salto dam. Borgo San Pietro, on the opposite side of the lake, is the logistics base for teams and hospitality.
Getting there
Car is the recommended mode of transport: the nearest airports are Rome Fiumicino (approx. 140 km) and Rome Ciampino (approx. 124 km), both served by major car rental companies. From the Salaria road or the Rieti-Torano highway, you can reach the lake shores by following signs for Varco Sabino and the Salto dam.
Contacts and activities
The club is open daily from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Info: [email protected], +39 351 6279081 (WhatsApp available). Outside of competition days, CNVS Wave offers wakeboarding, wakesurfing, and SUP by reservation, with an annual membership fee of €15.
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