The ISAF Kiteboard Evaluation Working Party has recommended that Kiteboarding be included as a new ISAF sailing event for both men and women. The report found that there are no race management or event organization issues and that Kiteboarding could be immediately included in major ISAF events and the Olympic Sailing Regatta, with the European championship being held at the Sail for Gold event in Wymouth in June.
In its conclusion to the Technical Report the Evauation committee recomends that the optimal courses for fleet racing are the square box course and the square box course with a slalom component (“box slalom course”). And that a Medall race series is to be run in a single elimination system which for the first time allows to add “drama” and to build up to the climax – the winner of the final race takes gold (compared to the normal medal races where this is not necessarily the case)
Races are rather short – 4-5 minutes in the medal race series and 12 minutes in the qualifying and final series. This allows to shorten an event to 3-4 racing days.
The evaluation and technical reports will go to the Equipment Committee and Events Committee at the 2012 ISAF Mid-Year Meeting in Stresa, Italy from 3-6 May. The ISAF Council will make the final decision taking into consideration any recommendation from the Committees.
The evaluation team, selected for their in depth Kiteboarding knowledge, with representatives from both ISAF and the IKA recommended:
(a) Kiteboarding is ready to be included as an ISAF event for both men and women.
(b) By introducing Kiteboarding to ISAF events both ISAF and the IKA can work to promote a new discipline of sailing, finalise safety, equipment & competition rules, look to develop new formats & spectator opportunities and align NKAs with ISAF MNAs.
(c) Kiteboarding can add new interest to the ISAF Sailing World Cup and ISAF Sailing World Championships by helping to promote sailing to the media and the IOC. Effectively Kiteboarding can provide a real opportunity to help promote sailing.
(d) Safety issues are slightly different for Kiteboarding and it would be essential to have a well-trained team on the racing area (size of committee boats, tangled ropes, cutting the kites, jumping).
The ISAF also appointed a panel of windsurfing, Kiteboarding and race management experts to prepare a final report for the ISAF Mid-Year meeting. They produced a 33 page report the summery of which highlights overwhelming points in favour of the sport being added to ISAF events, including many items that the ISAF has previously indicated are essential to keeping sailing as an Olympic sport.
- 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).n channels, production controlled and at a low price (cheapest entry into Olympic Sailing for emerging nations).
- 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.
Instead of a medal race it is proposed to race a “medal race series” on the short track course with provides the best combination of high speed legs which test equipment control and a very tactical upwind/downwind component. This medal race series is to be run in a single elimination system which for the first time allows to add “drama” and to build up to the climax – the winner of the final race takes gold (compared to the normal medal races where this is not necessarily the case)
Races are rather short – 4-5 minutes in the medal race series and 12 minutes in the qualifying and final series. This allows to shorten an event to 3-4 racing days.
Evaluation Report and Technical Report
