Kiteboarding Selected for Rio 2016 Olympic Games

May 5, 2012

Kiteboarding has won its battle with windsurfing for a place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games sailing competition after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) made its final event and equipment selections.

The Council voted in favour of kiteboarding to replace windsurfing as the board event for both the men and women in 2016 during their ISAF Mid-Year Meeting in Stresa, buy Italy.

This follows the work of an evaluation panel set up in November 2011 to examine kiteboarding formats after the board events for Rio 2016 were defined as “windsurfing and/or kiteboarding”.

The panel recommended kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

But the Council decided to go further by giving the sport Olympic status, though the ISAF Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Committee will make further recommendations on the inclusion of kiteboarding at the ISAF Annual Conference in November 2012.

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 fulfillied 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 also the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

“Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included inito the list of prestigious ISAF event and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.”

The Mackay FX, referred to as the 49er FX, was selected ahead of the 29erXX and RS900 as the two person women’s skiff while the Nacra 17 joins the Olympic equipment family after being selected for the two person mixed multihull event instead of the Viper.