Gabriel-Felician Croitoru
Summary
From September 14 to 20, 2026, Constanța hosted the European Class C Model Boat Championship – NAVIGA at the “Ioan N. Roman” County Library, bringing together 121 competitors and 223 static models from 9 countries. Organized by the Romanian Model Building Federation and Farul Constanța Sports Club, this edition marked the tournament’s return to the city after 21 years.
The Bulgarian delegation emerged as one of the most successful teams at the championship, earning widespread praise and capturing medals across all three categories.
Report
After 21 years, Constanța was, for a week, one of the most important hubs for European model boat racing. From 14 to 20 September 2026, the city hosted the European Class C Model Boat Championship – NAVIGA, one of the most significant international competitions dedicated to static model boats. The European Class C Model Shipbuilding Championship – NAVIGA took place under the auspices of NAVIGA – World Organisation for Modelshipbuilding and Modelsports, and was organised by the Romanian Model Building Federation (FRMD) and the Farul Constanța Sports Club, with the support of the Constanța County Council
Constanța, whilst the models were exhibited at the “Ioan N. Roman” County Library in Constanța.
This year’s edition brought together 121 competitors from 9 countries (Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary), with 223 models entered into the competition. The models were assessed by an international jury, with the judging criteria focusing on fidelity to the original vessels, the quality of workmanship, technical complexity and the documentation used.
The city of Constanța previously hosted the Class C European Model Boat Championships in 1995 and 2005. The return of the European Championships to Constanța, after 21 years, represents both a recognition of the achievements of the Romanian model boat-building school and an opportunity to bring this sport closer to the public and, in particular, to children and young people.
On Sunday, 20 September, at 12.00, in the auditorium of the ‘Ioan N. Roman’ County Library in Constanța, the European Championship awards ceremony took place, an event which marked the conclusion of the Constanța 2026 edition.
On this occasion, several athletes from Bulgaria were awarded gold medals (Radolslav Rashkov, Emil Netzov, Plamen Genov, Diyan Dimitrov, Kolio Ghineshki, Dinko Alexandrov and Slavian Narlev), silver (Emil Netzov, Anastasia Boncheva, Diyan Dimitrov, Kristin Boncheva, Atanas Atanasov, Ivo Chernev and Plamen Genov) and bronze (Stanislav Hristov).
The large Bulgarian delegation, one of the most successful teams at this championship, made a good impression on the organisers and the public, with the medallists being rewarded with thunderous applause from the spectators and members of the other teams.
Photo: (source: Gabriel-Felician Croitoru)
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