The idea behind the “Finals” is as simple as it is ingenious: lesser-known sports, which normally receive little coverage, are given a major platform at a multi-sport event to decide their championship titles. The concept has been a huge hit since 2019, and this year Hanover will host the event from 23 to 26 July.
Whilst the SUPer competitors were already in Dresden last year, windsurfing is making its debut this year. On the Steinhuder Meer, which is serving as a venue for the water sports, the raceboarders will take to the water to compete in the German Mixed Team Championships. There, where The highly successful Raceboard World Championships in 2023 The event will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, featuring the team sprint, team slalom and course race. All races will be livestreamed and commentated on by ARD and ZDF.
Here is a schedule of all the planned races: diefinals.de
An overview of the live streams:
There’s a separate link to the live stream for each race – just look out for “windsurfing” or “rapid surfing” in the lists!
Raceboarders rave about the Steinhuder Mee
Right in the thick of it, on their raceboards, are Jenny Bouhier and Lars Deiterding. In the official Podcast on the Finals During a joint interview, they talked about how they got into windsurfing, why the conditions at Steinhuder Meer make it one of the top spots for their sport, and what their expectations are as they head into the finals. Jenny won bronze at the 2023 World Championships at the very same venue, and Lars Deiterding – himself a multiple World and European medallist – is also full of praise for the spot: “To be holding such a fantastic event at this venue, which offers almost perfect conditions for this kind of competition, fills me with immense anticipation.” Jenny Bouhier has set her sights high for the Finals: “I think you can be honest enough when you go there to say that you’re going to win. I’d be absolutely delighted if that happened.”
Surfing on an artificial wave will also feature in the 2026 Finals
At the 2026 Finals, the German Rapid Surfing Championships, i.e. surfing on an artificial, standing wave, will be held as an official part of the multi-sport event. The Leine wave in Hanover’s old town provides the backdrop for this debut. In the Open Women and Open Men categories, Germany’s best rapid surfers will compete for the championship title. Spectators can watch the competitions free of charge from the riverbank; the contest will also be streamed and broadcast on TV from the semi-finals onwards (see dates above).
Timetable and information at diefinals.de
SUP as a demonstration sport
Last year it was still part of the “main programme”, but Stand-up paddleboarding to be a demonstration sport in 2026 As part of the 2026 Finals in Hanover, the German Championships in SUP parallel sprint will be held on Lake Maschsee. The men’s events take place on Thursday 23 July. The quarter-finals will start between 11.30 am and 11.45 am. The semi-finals will then take place from 1.45 pm. The medals will be awarded at 2.30 pm and 2.34 pm, in the bronze final and the gold final respectively. The women will compete to find their German champion on Sunday 26 July. The quarter-final heats are scheduled to start at 10.22 am. The two semi-finals will follow at 12.23 pm. The winners will then be decided at 12.49 pm in the third-place play-off and at 12.53 pm in the final.
