Hi there,

the ISAF has chosen Kiteboarding over windsurfing for the 2016 Olympics.
Here's the link to today's (05/05/2012) official release from the ISAF:

www.sailing.org/38281.php

let's go racing guys ;0)

Seems the first ISAF kiteboarding event is to be held in Melbourne in November or December

NICE!

I wonder if it would get several different disciplines as snowboarding does. Would love to see a bit of freestyle in there!

Who knows, the winners of this years nationals in Townsville might very well be in Rio in 4 years!

JohnnoKeys said...

Hey bike riders don't use all the same bikes! The current kite race Box rule works perfect, means easy to get boards/kites & cheaper, more riders can give it a smash.

Trouble is, that is what windsurfing wrestled with for many years with the yachties and IOC who run the show - and we were lumbered with one design racing. They don't seem to understand that argument. You have little chance of getting any other discipline in unless it can run in 8knots.

All the kite organisations need to put their 20c in now if they don't want a one-design type of deal

iti said...

Damien LeRoy screams on a alex alugera course board and a 16mtr kite in 8-12 knts

I'm sure he does. I was talking about your chances of getting anything other than course racing

rickwindt said...

NICE!

Who knows, the winners of this years nationals in Townsville might very well be in Rio in 4 years!

Just to give you a run down on how the qualification for this years Olympics worked...

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) may enter 1 boat per event with the host nation directly qualifying one place in each event. The remaining places are decided through a qualification system.

Qualification is worked out on a national basis and it is then up to the individual National Olympic Committees to decide which sailors they want to represent them at the Olympic Sailing Competition. To be eligible for selection by NOCs the athlete must have appeared on an official ISAF World Ranking list between 1 January 2011 and 1 July 2012.

75% of each event's entry quota shall be qualified from the best ranked NOCs in each of the relevant events at the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships.

25% of each event's entry quota shall be qualified from each event's 2012 Worlds or other events sanctioned by ISAF, to finish by 1 June 2012.

So if they do the same for 2016, only one kitesurfer from Australia will get the chance to get to Rio and only if they rank in the 2015 Worlds or 2016 Worlds.

PLUS......

I think that the Olympic kite racing should go down the same route as the RS:X programme and be One Design, this way all riders get to use the same gear, if all the different kite and board manufacturers are designing gear to become quicker and quicker the cost of race gear will go up.... at least with one design there is only one company spending the money on R&D. With all his sailing back ground and current work with RS:X I think Neil Pryde (Cabrinha) should put his hand up..... they already have great racing products (this coming from a Naish rider!).

My two cents......

martynbone said...

rickwindt said...

NICE!

Who knows, the winners of this years nationals in Townsville might very well be in Rio in 4 years!

Just to give you a run down on how the qualification for this years Olympics worked...

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) may enter 1 boat per event with the host nation directly qualifying one place in each event. The remaining places are decided through a qualification system.

Qualification is worked out on a national basis and it is then up to the individual National Olympic Committees to decide which sailors they want to represent them at the Olympic Sailing Competition. To be eligible for selection by NOCs the athlete must have appeared on an official ISAF World Ranking list between 1 January 2011 and 1 July 2012.

75% of each event's entry quota shall be qualified from the best ranked NOCs in each of the relevant events at the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships.

25% of each event's entry quota shall be qualified from each event's 2012 Worlds or other events sanctioned by ISAF, to finish by 1 June 2012.

So if they do the same for 2016, only one kitesurfer from Australia will get the chance to get to Rio and only if they rank in the 2015 Worlds or 2016 Worlds.

PLUS......

I think that the Olympic kite racing should go down the same route as the RS:X programme and be One Design, this way all riders get to use the same gear, if all the different kite and board manufacturers are designing gear to become quicker and quicker the cost of race gear will go up.... at least with one design there is only one company spending the money on R&D. With all his sailing back ground and current work with RS:X I think Neil Pryde (Cabrinha) should put his hand up..... they already have great racing products (this coming from a Naish rider!).

My two cents......

Thanks for that run down! Would be great to get some more disciplines in there as well but i guess we can't get picky

So I wonder if this means my 3rd party insurance for kiting will slip in with my 3rd party insurance for sailing through the AYF, seeing as kiting is now considered a sailing discipline...

eneour said...

Hi there,

the ISAF has chosen Kiteboarding over windsurfing for the 2016 Olympics.
Here's the link to today's (05/05/2012) official release from the ISAF:

www.sailing.org/38281.php

let's go racing guys ;0)

Not just the Olympics!
"ISAF President G?ran 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
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Men's One Person Dinghy (heavy) - Finn
Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Men's Skiff - 49er
Women's skiff - 49er FX
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17

These ten events will be featured in the 2012-2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup which kicks off in Melbourne in December and will come together in Santander, Spain in 2014 for the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

Its great in some respects but...

1. Australia is going to battle to compete largely because we are already quite a way behind a lot of countries who have been doing this for a while (I stand under correction though but thats the impression I get)
2. It seems that equipment has a major impact on your performance and although there are limits to the equipment (minimum number of boards sold), the sponsored riders who test the gear are going to have access to the boards prior to any of the other riders which gives more time to get used to it.
3. This has the potential to grow kiting substantially which I am not sure is a good thing when we consider the congestion at current locations.
4. It doesn't impact 95% of riders other than the ability to watch it on TV in the olympics

From kiteforum - people in the know with info say will be current box rule, IKA reg production kite & boards. See below post from today.


Gebi
Post subject: Re: Kiteboarding in the 2016 Olympics...windsurfing outPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:06 am

Medium Poster

Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:32 pm
Posts: 93
Kitesurfing will race in the Olympics. IKA has a list of the board and kites registered to race on. Its a box rule, production kite and board set up.

Go to internationalkiteboarding.org/ as all the info is there.

Competition rules, courses, equipment, calendar of races, etc.

Lots of Gebi


Top

i think they will issue standard same kites to everone, haha what about the Ozone Reo ?

AndyEliotH said...

i think they will issue standard same kites to everone, haha what about the Ozone Reo ?

If I'd have to choose a kite for the Olympics. I'd put my money on a Cabrinha kite, probably the Crossbow, known for it's racing capabilities...

From the Cabrinha website: The Crossbow has written the book on modern day kiteboarding. The Crossbow is unequalled as the kite which has contributed more to the sport than any other kite. And in 2012 it continues to define itself as the leader in performance and efficiency. The Crossbow's Bow kite platform is the basis of its incredible range and unmatched efficiency. This keeps the Crossbow on the podium at race events. It also makes it incredibly easy for a recreational rider to experience the precise power of a thoroughbred racing machine. The Crossbow's defining features are its smooth powerband and its incredible hangtime.

Now don't get me wrong I know that Cabrinha would be bi-est about their own product of course but they're not lying...

you are allowed to use different brands of rowing boat for rowing, different brands of bike for cycling, different brands of skiis for skiiing, snowboards for snowboarding, kayaks for kayaking, raquets for tennis and badminton, sticks for hockey... you get the picture

as long as they are kind of the same there is no need for one design!

You are allowed to use any kite or board as long as it is standard production kit. Meaning that series production runs of 50 or greater for kites 10m or above and 15 or great for kites less than 10 m.

So the riders will be using off the shelf kit.

Equipment
All equipment used in international course racing events must be included on the relevant IKA production equipment list for boards and kites on the first day of the event latest.
It is each competitors sole responsibility that the equipment on which he is racing complies with the class rules.
Attention is drawn to the IKA class rules in their latest version.

a. A production board is a board that has been registered with the IKA and fits into the new box rule. This means it must not exceed certain measurements (70 cm wide and 190cm long), and it needs to be built in a series production process (which means that all boards are close to identical), of at least 30 pieces per model. The same applies to kites, they have to be production manufactured in a series production process of at least 50 pieces per model (for sizes 10m and bigger) and 15 pieces for smaller kites.

c. Only three kites are to be registered for an event. Only one board will be allowed to be used at an event.

d. When registering for an international event (on site at the registration day) the board and kites to be used during the competition must be registered. Equipment
inspection will take place randomly during the competition days, however it is the
responsibility of every competitor to have a look if one of his competitors is using
equipment that he either did not register or which is not production. In this he might protest the other competitor.

lostinlondon said...

You are allowed to use any kite or board as long as it is standard production kit. Meaning that series production runs of 50 or greater for kites 10m or above and 15 or great for kites less than 10 m.

So the riders will be using off the shelf kit.

Not in a milion years. The kiting community has a bit of a learning curve about the checkbook-driven nationalistic chest thumping that is Olympic sport.

The poorest countries might use off the shelf kit. The rich countries will commission "production runs" of one-off prototypes and buy up all 50 themselves. They will do this as many times as it takes. Remember that $15 million dollars per medal figure? Buys a lot of kites.