www.sail-world.com/USA

SUCKS

it was fun while it lasted,

On the one hand, sucks totally.

On the other hand the announcement alone has pushed heaps of people to get interested in course racing, and most won't give it up. 4 more years development will see greater numbers of racers, the tech far advanced and stabilised somewhat from the nuclear arms race going on at the moment, and the committees will have time to process and prepare so that after the next vote windzzzzzzurfing will be out for good.

For what it's worth I think olympics should essentially just be track and field anyway. Team sports which have national or world championships being in the olympics is a bit daft. Basketball, I'm lookin at you. But there's plenty of other similar sports.

I am not really too bothered. To be honest kite racing does not interest me at all, so no great loss for me.

I think they should come up with something a little more creative - how about a "destruction derby" kind of event? That would draw a pretty decent crowd

The last thing on their minds when selecting where to take the Olympics is " Is it windy there?"

They have held the sailing when the wind is down to 4 knots or less. In Beijing, the windsurfers had to pump their way round the course and it was reduced to one lap.

So the Olympics is a 'take what you get' place. Rio will be sailed in an enclosed bay with flat water and light (probably flukey) winds. Its maybe a place that wouldn't have suited kite racing anyway.

The important part of kite racing is the series leading to the World Championship - its more relevant and fairer. I think that would be the way everyone would think anyway even if kiting was in the Olympics.

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Chris_M said...
I am not really too bothered. To be honest kite racing does not interest me at all, so no great loss for me.

I think they should come up with something a little more creative - how about a "destruction derby" kind of event? That would draw a pretty decent crowd

That picture is so old and has been used as a sole source to degrade the sport

In most other sports it is the carnage scenes that help make it great from a spectators point of view, sure we all like to see good racing and competition, but it is all the bits like this when sh!t happens that make it great to watch most sports, football, car racing etc etc
Its what helps you get on the edge of the couch

If it wasn't for sh!t like this most sports would be lap after lap of the same people in the roughly the same position going around and that gets boring after a while unless ur a real die hard of the sport, it's what keeps most of us coming back next race cause anything can happen and you are always in with a chance

Poor form ISAF or whoever made the decision - i did not know the decision was not final. While I did not read the fine print everyone seemed to be claiming it was. So does that mean you can change your mind again. Good luck with that. First you disappointed a legion of windsurfers then you disapointed a legion of kiters.

Your flip flopping is ridiculous. Seems like lobbying and politicking. I don't care that windsurfing got in (good luck to windsurfing and unfair the two were pitted against each other in the first place) but why oh why did you get all these kiters so worked up and spending money if your gonna change your mind. Why didnt you tell them your decision was not final (or did I miss something). it is final now right?

Maybe kiting should stick to being run by kiting rather than sailing (that probably unfair to the sailing community who embraced kiting so fervently). Also Decision seems dubious and I would suggest there was more to this story than meets the eye.

Not that I care (never interested me that much in spending thousands of dollars on race specific kit but I could understand the appeal of racing as I am competitive by nature) but a lot of people got into racing for the olympics having dreams that they would be competitive. Some even ditched there windsurf gear (hopefully they did not sell there windsurf gear) and bought kite race gear.

I could not believe the interest the Olympics bought and if you don't believe go down to your local shop and ask. Companies sold a lot of very expensive gear. May have even initiated expensive r&d programs looking for it to pay off with the added interest.

hopefully the racers are hooked now and stay in. The momentum seems too great now.

Poor form on your political can't make a decision flip flopping org.

End of pointless commentary.

What a shameful debacle, corruption at the highest level of sport, this reflects badly on the ISAF. Stop the politics and corruption and include both Wind surfing and Kite surfing in the Olympics.

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pilotpete said...
What a shameful debacle, corruption at the highest level of sport, this reflects badly on the ISAF. Stop the politics and corruption and include both Wind surfing and Kite surfing in the Olympics.

You should be careful with your accusation or do you got any evidence which support that?

it would be awesome if they showcased windsurfing and kite racing at its best, in location that suit.... but wont happen

how can finn out-rank kiting race most people woulnt even know what a finn is. If you are a "lager" bloke wanting olympic glory; take up shotput

if i was isaf i would drop the finn, make the 470 mixed, and include bloke / chick kites also this would make sailing a 50/50 opportunity between genders

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Juzzy said...
how can finn out-rank kiting race most people woulnt even know what a finn is. If you are a "lager" bloke wanting olympic glory; take up shotput

if i was isaf i would drop the finn, make the 470 mixed, and include bloke / chick kites also this would make sailing a 50/50 opportunity between genders

I would agree with drop the Finn, however I don't agree in mixing the classes. There really is no reason why the ISAF can't fit in two more classes (being kites) as kite races are quiet short in time and you could easily fit an extra hour of racing into the format.

But at the end of the day the decision has been made and there really is no point in 'whingeing'. It is now time to make this sport strong in all states of Australia and continue to be included in events such as Sail Melbourne etc.