The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed the final event and equipment selections for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.
The ISAF Council voted that Kiteboarding will replace windsurfing for the men's and women's board events and confirmed the equipment that will be used for the Women's Skiff and Mixed Multihull Events.

The Mackay FX, referred to as the 49er FX, was selected yesterday as the two person women's skiff and today the Nacra 17 joins the Olympic equipment family after being selected for the two person mixed multihull event.

The 49er FX received the majority of votes from the ISAF Council in the first round after the six evaluation trial entries were narrowed down to just three; the 29erXX, the RS900 and the 49er FX.

There was an equally animated debate on the final morning of the Council meeting at this year's ISAF Mid-Year Meeting to decide the equipment to be selected for the mixed multihull event. After discussing the recommendations from the Evaluation Panel, the Equipment Committee and the Events Committee, Council voted between the Nacra 17 and the Viper with the Nacra 17 securing the majority.

The final discussion on the events and equipment for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition was about the men's and women's board events with Council voting in favour or kiteboarding.

In November 2011 an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as 'windsurfing and/or kiteboarding'. The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well.

The ISAF Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Committee will consider and make further recommendations to Council on the implementation of the inclusion of kiteboarding at their meeting in November 2012 at the ISAF Annual Conference.

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 fulfilled 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 the ISAF Sailing World Cup and ISAF Sailing World Championships.

"Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included into the list of prestigious ISAF Events and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games."

The events to be contested at the 2016 Olympic Games are confirmed as:
Men's Kiteboarding
Women's Kiteboarding
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Men's One Person Dinghy (heavy) - Finn
Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Men's Skiff - 49er
Women's skiff - 49er FX
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17

These ten events will be featured in the 2012-2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup which kicks off in Melbourne in December and will come together in Santander, Spain in 2014 for the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

ISAF Council also approved applications from Kosovo (Group C) and Vietnam (Group K) for full member status.

http://www.sailing.org/38281.php

what I really like about it, that some of us will participate and be able to enjoy the spirit of the Olympics, meeting many other athletes...that must be sooo wonderful!

Let's see who the lucky ones will be!!!

Keep pushing !!!!

Very cool!

sorry is this the real olympics or special olympics?

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed the final event and equipment selections for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.
After a long and heated discussion with lots of enthusiasm for both sports, ISAF Council voted with a 19 to 17 majority that Kiteboarding will replace windsurfing for the men's and women's board events.
ISAF President Göran Petersson stated, that "Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included into the list of prestigious ISAF Events and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games."
Sir Richard Branson, one of the IKAs Olympic Ambassadors and supporters from the very first minute added: “Well we all flew a kite to get kiteboarding in to the Olympics and unbelievably the kite has landed in Rio ! Kiteboarding is now an Olympic sport! To celebrate this, myself, my family and a few friends will this week attempt to kite across the English Channel to show off the beauty of kite-surfing.”
In November 2011 an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as 'windsurfing and/or kiteboarding'. The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well.
IKA Executive Secretary said: "The decision today will change the lives of thousands of kiteboarders that now can live their Olympic dream. The National Sailing Associations will invest hundred thousands, if not millions of Euros to invest in equipment, coaching and supporting the riders to go to the Olympic Qualification events. We never thought that we will get that far in so short time."
Kristin Boese, 9x Kiteboarding World Champion and also lobbying for Kiteboarding in the Olympics Campain during the ISAF mid-year meeting in Stresa concluded: "I still can't really believe what happened! There was a lot of support for kiteboarding in the ISAF council room yesterday but we thought we were not going to stand a chance against windsurfing which is such an established class within the ISAF. After the council debate was over we knew that the decision was going to be a lot closer than we had originally expected, but we still never thought it was going to go our way. It is an incredible surprise and I am very excited for kiteboarding and incredible greatful for all the hard work the IKA has put into the Kiteboarding in the Olympics campaign - what an amazing campaign to have been a part of."

The events to be contested at the 2016 Olympic Games are confirmed as:
Men's Kiteboarding
Women's Kiteboarding
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Men's One Person Dinghy (heavy) - Finn
Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Men's Skiff - 49er
Women's skiff - 49er FX
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17

These ten events will be featured in the 2012-2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup which kicks off in Melbourne in December and will come together in Santander, Spain in 2014 for the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

My View, that is probably invalid on kiteforum lol

I have read the spin / press releases/ reports from IKA/ISAF over the last year and as a long term highly experienced kitesurfer that has competed in every discipline of kiteboarding, I was embarrassed to read it. No way it was written by experienced kiteboarders and no way it was balanced.

The situation is most ironic in many ways. To suddenly have a sailing club in countries dealing with a kitesport of which it has no experience (particularly with safety) and no relationship ever in history may cause uneccessary friction between the 2 sports and VERY serious safety issues of which the sailing clubs have absolutely no experience whatsoever (We require comparatively huge areas for launching and landing safely without any objects to hit ) .

The whole situation stems from a German windsurfer (why? will you personally end up with any financial gain from this?) approaching some sailors in America declaring kiting a sailing sport, which is a complete lie and is like rewriting history. I respect windsurfing, in fact, I respect all of the sailing classes and from the very moment IKA took the piss out of the Laser class in it's video marketing for Olympic spin I knew something was rotten. I am very disappointed that the kitesurfers involved let it happen this way. I feel like IKA /ISAF have no clue of kitesport history and stole my sport.

it is bit of demeaning towards the challenged people, but it is kind of true...

The voting was 19 to 17 for kiting, but apparently it got in by accident.

http://www.windsurfingtour.com/?p=5292

that is hilarious ronnie

"However, at the last moment the Spanish representative in the ISAF Council issued its vote in favour of the kite, an error caused by the confusion of the voting system that the Federal President, Gerardo Pombo, be responsible and who want to apologise to all the Spanish windsurfers. The community of windsurfing has launched a campaign of collecting signatures to return Olympic status to the RS: x for Rio 2016, a change that could occur at the ISAF Annual Conference in November. "

windsurfers vs kiteboarders round 2

FIGHT

windsurfer : Dude you can have it. RSX is boring. We get to air row our sails in 2 knots of wind. No thanks.

kiters: No way dude you can have it. A competition where you all ride the same gear is so lame.

windsurfer: But I heard you'll be able to use box rules. Come on it's the Olympics aren't you excited?

kiters: Not really.

Round 2, Windsurfer winds!

Round 3

FIGHT!

I think its great that kitesurfing has made it to the Olympics, but absolutely ridiculous that it has replaced windsurfing and totally unfair.

Apparently ISAF had enforced changes to the specs of the RS-X boards (did sound like they'd not been made too accurately though) and the manufacturer had had to change factories. Then of course all international sailors had to spend £3000 approx on a new board. Those boards won't be worth much after 2012 Olympics!

I think in the UK there's a lot of kids all signed up to lottery funded windsurfing clubs... they will possibly lose all this funding.

The RS-X is often criticised as being nothing like windsurfing because it needs so much volume to be able to float in light winds. If kites keep the box rule on boards, surely it would have been good to see the windsurfers have a chance to move away from that antiquated plank of a board to try and liven things up a bit?

Has safety been discussed with ISAF yet? Are they even aware of the issues involved with launching a kite in gusty winds in tight spaces?

Apparently it was all a mistake in the first place that kitesurfing was pitted against windsurfing - ISAF thought kitesurfing was a form of windsurfing!!!

I think the best option would be to make the kite raceboards about 300 litres in volume, reduce the line length to 5cm and include a long pole on the board to support the kite in case the wind drops off...