In my opinion, It would be more appropriate (and less useful to his agenda) if Nevin had the integrity to honestly disclose his personal and family conflicts of interest.

When did the accident occur?

I am sorry you were hurt Nevin and wish you all speed in a complete recovery. What happened in your accident? It looks like a bad one which we can try to learn from.

I am aware of one kiting fatality in kiteboarding competition worldwide, that of Silke Gornt in 2002. Many factors were present in her tragic loss key among them the lack of effective quick releases and kite leashes. These devices have been developed and spread through the sport in large measure due to her accident. Procedures, rules and equipment have vastly improved in the last ten years in kiting.

By comparison, how many people have been killed worldwide bicycling in the last decade? It looks like over 7000 between 2000 and 2009 in the USA alone.* Still bicycling is a big part of the Olympics.

*http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811386.pdf

I hope the Olympic Committee reconsiders the expulsion of windsurfing and allows both windsurfing and kiting to occur in the games. It seems Solvig Sayre was a strong prospect for the Olympic windsurfing team. To suddenly lose the ability to complete after all the hard work, dedication and sacrifice to attain such proficiency is an awful thing. I wish both Solvig and yourself the best in getting through this, rapid, complete healing in your case and the ability to compete in windsurfing for Solvig. I believe both sports should be allowed to participate.


EDIT: If this is an old accident Nevin from which you healed from long ago, it would be good to tell us that up front. That along with your involvement with BIC and Olympic related windsurfing sales. Advocating your sport is a reasonable thing but to do so in a biased destructive way, possibly threatening access for BOTH sports is a bad move. I have been involved in many negotiations with authorities in trying to preserve access for kiting and windsurfing. We often are the same to regulators. Please think over your approach to this as you could harm both kiting and inadvertently your sport of windsurfing fairly easily.

I like a simple little conflict disclosure, such as:

I am in the windsurfing business for many years and have a very significant financial interest in the presence of windsurfing in the Olympic Games. I also have a child who is an Olympic level windsurfer and has a significant interest in the future of Olympic windsurfing.

Then proceed to bash kiting as much as desired. But at least inform the reader that there are significant financial incentives to bash kiting in an effort to support windsurfing. His opinion is not invalidated by his conflicts of interest, but an unwillingness to disclose these conflicts reflects on his integrity and may discredit his position.

By comparison, how many people have been killed worldwide bicycling in the last decade? It looks like over 7000 between 2000 and 2009 in the USA alone.* Still bicycling is a big part of the Olympics.