IKA Olympic Kiteboard Racing Campaign - Episode 2

Kiteboarding makes Olympic pitch for Rio 2016 Games

(Left) ISAF chief Goran Petersson gets up close and personal with kitebaording in Spain / IKA KTA

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

TAMPA: Kiteboarding is ramping up its Olympic campaign after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) held their 2012 Olympic equipment and format trials last week with the president Goran Petersson out on the water to view firsthand.

The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) sent 18 sailors of the 70 in attendance at the event to support the sport for the Olympic nod.

The ISAF will make a decision to add two events to the roster for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the toss up is between up and coming kiteboarding or windsurfing. Windsurfing has a history of being on the Olympic program as of 1984 but kiteboarding is widely seen as the new kid on the block with its emerging youth following worldwide.

Markus Schwendtner, IKA Executive Secretary, said, “We are more than happy with the outcome of this trial event. ISAF got all the information they needed and the evaluation panel (consisting of experts from various specialist ISAF committees) will publish a very positive report to the ISAF council.

“It is then up to the representatives of the national sailing associations to take a decision for or against kiteboarding. All feedback we received was overwhelming, and it would be a pity if ISAF would miss our spectacular discipline for another 4 years and sticks with what they have.”

The ISAF should make a decision at their mid-year meeting in Stresa, Italy, at beginning of May where delegates from the more than hundred ISAF member nations will be gathering.

Kiteboarding will be introducing some new competition formats in the near future: a fleet racing format that not only tests tactical skills but also incorporates a high speed slalom part to test equipment handling skills, and a new medal race series format which is fully run in an elimination system: this is where heroes are made, and for the first time all the drama of other sports is incorporated into a sailing competition format.

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