Destination: LA 2028
When you come third last at the Olympics, you have two options: call it a day, or decide the story isn't over.
I chose the latter.
After representing Canada in the first-ever Formula Kite event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, I came home with a clearer sense of what it takes to compete at that level and an even stronger desire to get back there. Paris wasn’t a finish line. It was the starting point for everything I want to become as an athlete.
My campaign toward Los Angeles 2028 is about transformation. Every training block, every rep in the gym, and every tough day on the water adds up to something bigger. With a background in electrical engineering, I approach racing like a system to figure out. Small adjustments, precise feedback, and persistence create progress.
This journey isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about building it piece by piece and believing, maybe a little delusionally, that I can close the gap between experience and excellence.
Paris showed me how far I’ve come. LA is where I find out how far I can go.
Preparing for an Olympic campaign is a full-time pursuit that stretches far beyond what happens on the water. Every day involves training, travel, coaching, and constant refinement — all with the goal of representing Canada at the highest level.
While sailing and kiteboarding are Olympic sports, they receive limited centralized funding in Canada. Each athlete is responsible for building and maintaining their own program: organizing training camps, covering flights and accommodation for international events, buying equipment, and funding coaching and support staff. It’s a huge commitment, both physically and financially.
Your support doesn’t just help me chase a personal goal — it helps grow Canadian representation in one of the fastest and most innovative sailing disciplines in the world. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings me one step closer to the start line in Los Angeles 2028.
If you’d like to be part of the journey, please consider donating through Wind Athletes Canada and joining the team behind this campaign. Together, we can show what belief, persistence, and a bit of delusion can achieve.
Biography:
Emily Bugeja is a Canadian Formula Kite athlete who made her Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games, representing Canada in the sport’s first Olympic appearance. A lifelong sailor turned kiteboarder, Emily switched disciplines in 2020 in pursuit of this "Olympic Delusion".
Combining a background in electrical engineering with high-performance sport, Emily applies data analysis and technical problem-solving to optimize her training and race performance. She is currently pursuing her campaign toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with the goal of advancing Canada’s competitiveness in women’s kiteboarding on the world stage.