Kiting Voted Into 2016 Olympics

[ricki]

"ISAF Selects Kiteboarding For Rio 2016

2012 ISAF Mid-Year Meeting
Stresa, Italy

The ISAF Council voted that Kiteboarding will replace windsurfing for the men's and women's board events and confirmed the equipment that will be used for the Women's Skiff and Mixed Multihull Events."

"In November 2011 an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as 'windsurfing and/or kiteboarding'. The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well."

"In November 2011 an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as 'windsurfing and/or kiteboarding'. The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well.

The ISAF Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Committee will consider and make further recommendations to Council on the implementation of the inclusion of kiteboarding at their meeting in November 2012 at the ISAF Annual Conference.

ISAF President Göran Petersson said, "These announcements mark a new era for sailing and we welcome the new classes into the ISAF family. The equipment selections have fulfilled the criteria set out by the Evaluation Panel and we look forward to seeing the boats not only at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but the ISAF Sailing World Cup and ISAF Sailing World Championships.

"Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included into the list of prestigious ISAF Events and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games."

The events to be contested at the 2016 Olympic Games are confirmed as:
Men's Kiteboarding
Women's Kiteboarding"

http://www.sailing.org/38281.php

[al-kite-ah]

I did some training in sailing....i have always wondered why the USA has done so poorly for the most part in the olympics in windsurfing....Hopefully the kite boarders will help put the USA back on top........i will say this though...in some ways this could be the quickest way to ruin our sport.....you will not believe how competitive its about to become.....if we are not careful it will take the fun out of it......

[Water Monkey]

Stoked to get some course racing going in the Tampa Bay area. Stay tuned for a 6-pack entry Fall/Winter series!

Not that we could not have done this before kiting got to the Olympics but this will certainly get local guys to buy a race board and try it out.

[Steve-O]

This is awesome news. Couldn't agree more Al.

Damien Leroy of Cabrinha, who I guess will be representing the USA, has agreed to help us out and set up a course race clinic for the kiters of the Tampa Bay area.

Downwind racing is so difficult to execute, whereas, course racing is much easier format to execute.

Would be happy to work with you Chase on helping put something together for next season!

[Russky]

Originally Posted by al-kite-ah

i will say this though...in some ways this could be the quickest way to ruin our sport.....if we are not careful it will take the fun out of it......

C'mon Al, is it really gonna change the way we do those Gandy->Skyway downwinders?
[Well, maybe they will be a bit faster on the race boards ]

[Russky]

So... let's consider May 5th an International Kiter's Day.

Seriosly, what do we need to do to make this happen?

[Russky]

first part of this video is just hilarious...

[ricki]

Nice video, thanks for posting it! The visuals and storyboard were excellent, the score, well, two out of three isn't bad. All success at the Olympics!

[kitingfun]

It will be interesting to see how many lines cross while jockeying for position, if any. The sport is growing and I am excited to learn about it.

[ricki]

"US Sailing Statement on Kiteboarding vs. Windsurfing


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jake Fish
US Sailing Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
401.683.0800 x614

US Sailing Statement on Kiteboarding vs. Windsurfing
Prepared by Dean Brenner, US Sailing Board Member and Chairman, Olympic Sailing Committee
2011 US Sailing Logo
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (May 23, 2012) - Every four years, difficult decisions are made about Olympic sailing events. The choices made always leave some part of the sailing community frustrated and feeling, at least on some level, disenfranchised. I say this as a former Soling sailor who was quite upset with decisions made in November 2000, and a long-time keelboat sailor who did not agree with the recent decisions to exclude keelboats from the Games entirely. I know, first hand, how it feels to have the part of the sport I care most about excluded.

There is no right and wrong here, or good and bad. On behalf of US Sailing, I would like to raise my hand and explain the reasoning behind the votes.

While the Board of US Sailing makes final decisions on all recommendations to our ISAF delegation, much of the thinking on Olympic events and equipment originates in the Olympic Sailing Committee, which I lead. The OSC believes, and I continue to support this 100%, that kites will be good for the sport of sailing, worldwide. The reasons are simple:

1. Kiteboarding is an exciting and rapidly growing area of the sport.
2. The infrastructure required will be minimal.
3. The potential exists to bring in new countries to the sport of Olympic Sailing, and at Council, there was support from every continent and region: Europe, Caribbean, South America, North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Mid-East.
4. Kites can be sailed close to shore, increasing spectator possibilities.
5. There have been major advancements in safety, and the evaluation and technical reports said exactly that. Those interested in this debate, really should read that report, linked

here. (ed. - Please look over this report, there is a lot of information in it about kiting prospects.)

Is there work to be done? Every time events or equipment are changed, work is required. There will ALWAYS be more work to get a new event established vs. the continuation of an existing one.

Does US Sailing have work to do in supporting the industry’s pipeline development? Of course. For kiteboarding to flourish, the kiteboarding community will need to commit to increased support in this area. US Sailing will work on developing pathways for kite sailors to make the Olympics, just as it has done in other classes.

The decisions on Olympic events and equipment are never easy. But I stand behind ISAF’s decision 100%. Kiteboarding will be good for the sport of sailing, in the USA and worldwide."
http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_Ne...ner_052312.htm



The 33 page Technical Report at the link listed above provides the following summary:

"The result of this evaluation can be summarized as follows:
• There are no race management or event organization issues. Kiteboarding could be
immediately included in major ISAF events and the Olympic Sailing Regatta.
• The rules are well developed and follow the standard Racing Rules of Sailing with some
discipline specific changes. No rule 42.
• Racing is close to the shore with an easy to follow competition format.
Kiteboarding is colorful, attractive to spectators and media and especially appealing to youth.
• Equipment is readily available with worldwide distribution channels, production controlled
and at a low price (cheapest entry into Olympic Sailing for emerging nations).
Events Committee – May 2012
• The class is growing fast. App. 60000 persons start kiteboarding every year. App. 180000
kites and 75000 hulls are sold every year with a yearly growth of 10%.
• Currently 14 builders are producing hulls and 19 builders produce kites. This competition
between builders guarantees high quality at a low prize.
• Equipment is high-performance over a wide wind range (5 till 18 knots during the test event using one hull and one kite only).
• Equipment has a wide weight band – competitors from 55 to 90 kg used the same hulls in the test event and chose the kite size by body weight.
• Biggest growth rates are currently in Asia. Emerging nations can reach international
competition level within a few months.
• Flexibility: Equipment is light weight (hull, kite and rigging less than 12 kg) and can be taken as standard luggage on planes. During the test event, the complete equipment of 17
competitors fit into one mini bus to shuttle to a nearby beach.
• Storage: Equipment Storage is minimized, complete equipment of 17 competitors easily fits into 50sqm with no additional requirements for storage facilities. Kiteboards are completely rigged and de-rigged every day (it takes 5 minutes to pump up the kite).
• Kiteboards are physically and technically challenging to sail, but not destructive to the body (no pumping, always trapezing).
• Youth Pathway: youth and junior competitors use the same hulls and only smaller kite sizes depending on the body weight.
• The competition format developed during the test event allows for short event duration,
head to head competition and the winner of the final medal race winning the first place.
Races are between 12 minutes (fleet race) and 4 minutes (medal race elimination)
• Identification of Sailors needs to be improved, e.g. by adding nationality flags to the kites
• There have been safety issues in the past which have been overcome since app. eight years. Safety standards are constantly improved in cooperation between class and national
governments"