kitewind said...

I'm sick to my stomach that we had to kill windsurfing at the Olympics in order to get in. From what I can tell, I'm not the only one. How about we take the moral high ground and do something about it?

The IKA represents our interests at ISAF. Let's ask the IKA to decline those spots on the Olympic Sailing Programme as long as Windsurfing isn't reinstated. Can you imagine the message that would send? If ISAF and the IOC are so desperate to add youth and media appeal to the Olympic Regatta, let them find a solution.

What's the worst thing that can happen? We're kicked out of the Olympics, and so is Windsurfing. But we'll be able to hold our heads high. Doesn't that count for something? And who knows, freed from the constraints that ISAF places on our sports, we might team up with our other friends on the beach (surfers, freestylers, paddlers, etc.) and carve our own path into the Olympics!

Let's show what it means to be 'brothers.' Let's stand up for each other! Please add your name to this petition:

www.change.org/p/ika-say-no-to-olympics-without-windsurfing

just NO to the Olympics .............

Kitewind is a windsurfer .. Why have you come on this forum posing as a kitesurfer??

kiteboy dave said...

Kitewind also created the petition but didn't own up to it in his post.

Dodgy dealings my brother.

And only 4 posts - me thinks me smells a rat

Kitesurf Race will be the fastest Sailing Class ever in the Olympics!
Its like the 100m Sprint in Athletics ;) and Johnny Heineken is Bolton lol

I watched the Olympics on Austar and it was awesome. Cant wait to see the Kiters in there flying over the water. Its going to be exciting to watch kite racing and im sure this part of the sport will go far. Its fast and lots of fun to watch kites shoot through the sky and tangle at the start line.

They could have raced windsurfers and kiters together but then the windsurfers wld just get left behind..

AMEN

Sports come & go all the time on the Olympic stage.

Saffer said...

DrP00b said...

Sports come & go all the time on the Olympic stage.

There are a couple they should have taken out ages ago. Walking is not a sport and would be a good starter.

Synchronized swimming would be a close second for removal.

Agree that walking could take the award for the most stupid Olympic sport (along with synchronized swimming and rythmic gymnastics) but is probably the most physically demanding event.
And then tennis and golf. They have their own tournaments with plenty of coverage. Most of the tennis players left London right after they lost their matches to go to other tournerments. Not much of the Olympic spirit shown there.
On the other hand, should there be an sailing in the Olympics at all?

I signed the petition. I think windsurfing should be retained, and said so here www.peterskiteboarding.com/2012/05/kitesurfing-in-olympic-games-but.html

I'm with Hamburglar
What a complete commercialized mess it has become.
Would love to see just the basics of human ability.
Running, jumping throwing etc.

kitewind said...

I'm sick to my stomach that we had to kill windsurfing at the Olympics in order to get in. From what I can tell, I'm not the only one. How about we take the moral high ground and do something about it?

The IKA represents our interests at ISAF. Let's ask the IKA to decline those spots on the Olympic Sailing Programme as long as Windsurfing isn't reinstated. Can you imagine the message that would send? If ISAF and the IOC are so desperate to add youth and media appeal to the Olympic Regatta, let them find a solution.

What's the worst thing that can happen? We're kicked out of the Olympics, and so is Windsurfing. But we'll be able to hold our heads high. Doesn't that count for something? And who knows, freed from the constraints that ISAF places on our sports, we might team up with our other friends on the beach (surfers, freestylers, paddlers, etc.) and carve our own path into the Olympics!

Let's show what it means to be 'brothers.' Let's stand up for each other! Please add your name to this petition:

www.change.org/p/ika-say-no-to-olympics-without-windsurfing

wtf, are you off your meds. What makes you think anybody really cares(apart from the affected athletes themselves). What do you really think is going to happen with your petition? Do you think the ika is going to turn around and say " hold the phones, a few random kiters from a forum signed a petition, we better cancel our spot at the biggest sports event on earth".

I agree its a shame windsurfing was axed, but seriously you are dilusional

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Interesting - this got full green thumbs in the windsurf forum and full red here. Who woulda thunk it?

I think the proposal has some merit (and no, not just cos I windsurf). Some kiters may not be aware that after the vote many countries on the ISAF committee have said they voted in error or would change their vote if they could. The reason being that they did not know that the board intended the vote to be between kiting and windsurfing. That is, they thought they were voting for kiting to be in (and rightly so) but did not know that meant windsurfing would be out. And regardless of which sport you do, that is just not right.... one wonders if the head honcho blokes were swayed by sponsorship $$$ and didn't tell the rest of the committee the whole story.

Since then, some countries rep's have been lobbied by their constituents in their own sailing scene and now realise they did not vote in accordance with all their member's wishes.... probably because the vote was sprung on them without knowing it was a WS vs KS vote.

I'd like to see both in, they are both better to watch than most sailing classes.

The November vote will be interesting ..... and kiters saying "we are happy to be in, but fairs fair what's the go with kicking the windsurfers out?" (which is all this petition aims to do) will help both sport's credibility.

For who? They have to get a 75% majority to reverse. I don't see the benefit in this ongoing discussion. There are no new points being made.

kitewind said...

archie00 said...

They have to get a 75% majority to reverse.

The idea is not to "reverse" to a point where kiteboarding isn't in there anymore! It's to have both sports in... I believe the 75% cutoff is to have anything at all changed in the decision (it could be that some folks will want to reopen the vote to give the match racing class another shot, who knows? Or to force ISAF to request new medals from the IOC)...

archie00 said...

I don't see the benefit in this ongoing discussion. There are no new points being made.

I think there are interesting points being made on this thread, but it's cool if you don't think so.

^^^^is that you Flipper4444 ?

kitewind said...

The idea is not to "reverse" to a point where kiteboarding isn't in there anymore!

that's definately the impression you get from the threads in the windsurfing forum . TBH myself i don't care either way . It won't affect my day to day activities and it won't make me watch the olympics anymore than the 0 time i spent watching it this year

I thought Olympics was supposed to be amature anyway - those pro tennis players should get the boot plus anyone driving one of those poncy dancing horses