Whether or not it is good or bad for windsurfing please show your support by signing the petition. At least it will show the following windsurfing has if nothing else.
www.change.org/p/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline
Set up thanks to Chris Guest, a young and gifted windsurfer from the UK.
The windsurfing petition already has more signatures on it than there are kiteracers in the world....
Looking at the lobbying route. We should contact the IOC and query the process by which the decision was made (surprise vote) and whether the extremely low participation in kiteracing cheapens Olympic medals.
ps Look at Richard Branson's twitter feed. He supported, lobbied for and funded (employed staff) Kiteracing at the Olympics....
so kiting went olympic... does that mean it suddenly went un-cool? Will kiters now stop wearing those ridiculous board shorts over their wet suits?
Cheers Mark, I am going to start a campaign on stalkerbook, or rather add those emails to all the ones that already exist.
hey guys great to see windsurfers banding together to help each other out, amazing the power of the internet.
As some of you are aware i am a 20 year old Austalian rsx sailor vying for a spot at the 2012 London Games and beyond, and it is because of this decision by ISAF my opportunity to represent the country at the games has virtually disappeared. All of my hard work and dreams just flushed away with one single council.
there are two way in which all windsurfers can help to try and bring back windsurfing for 2016
1) If you have face book or know someone who has face book go to this link and join the page and and add friends and family
www.facebook.com/groups/ISAFolympicswindsurfing/
2) Now you, your family and friends are part of the windsurfing group on face book sign the petition
www.change.org/petitions/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=share_button_modal
So far we have some good numbers, when the petition gets enough signatures we can start approaching the media, obtain coverage and will have a much stronger case as a united front.
Spread the word
Hi Upthere, you will be glad to know the petition was started by someone similar to yourself, a young lad at uni who is a top raceboarder and just starting out on the slalom scene. I cant believe how many signatures it has got in just over a day!
If you come to weymouth let me know, I sail from where you will be based. There were a lot of US sailors there today. If you see my van (pretty obvious which one!) come and say hello
yeah not sure what the go is right now, i am currently training Sicilly waiting to hear from Yachting Australia as to what i must do all i can do is keep training and hope that all windsurfers get behind the cause
but yeah would love to catch up and say g'day if i do end up coming
As much as I feel sadness for the sport and even more sadness for those dreams shattered overnight, I dont really feel anything we do would change the decision. It is life, and often we need to accept and move on. To be honest, who in their right mind, would want to buy a $6k RSX board set that goes slower than most production boards. Kiting is going to be quite different as raceboards can ride upwind and faster than most production boars (twintips), so the concept and approach is very different, and will attract a lot more attention and interests.
I re-started the development program for windsurfing with YQ back in 2008 and so glad to see our top lad and girl from the program came out first in Australia and now doing our country proud. I have already offered both Luke & Michelle full sponsorship to the kiteboarding development program which we are starting in July 2012. Hopefully with their years of training and effort as a top athlete, they can excel in kiting decipline as well as they did for windsurfing. Any other juniors/youth interested in joining the program can find details at our website or at www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Kitesurfing/Juniors-Development-Program_5999458.aspx
Windsurfing will not die, it will continue to live on.
You're the first bloke I thought of Luke, feel for you mate, fingers crossed.
Cheers Bob.
Thanks Bob i am with the Italian RS:X sailors at the moment in Sicilly doing some intense training before the last two events leading into the Olympics and well, lets just say i have never seen emotion like what i saw when we found out when we came off the water. Shock, disbelief i was left speechless it was like my heart was ripped out. I still have no idea what to do whether or not i should finish the season or just come home, i still don't know exactly what to say to my folks
Luke, chat to Jo. She had meeting yesterday and I believe everything is still as is for the time being, so she is still heading over to Europe to compete next month.
