The Events Committee has approved a proposal to reinstate windsurfing in place of kitesurfing.

It seems to me that they therefore have rejected the compromise proposal to include both.

The Council is due to vote on the proposal on Friday.

http://www.sailweb.co.uk/olympic/2353/e ... state-rs:x

The Council voted on reinstating windsurfing and the proposal did not get the required 75% majority so things stay as they are - Kitesurfing is in, windsurfing is out.

http://www.surfertoday.com/kiteboarding ... mpic-games

It seems the Council voted 26 to 12 (68%) for windsurfing, but it needed a 29 to 9 (76%) vote for the previous kiteboarding decision to be cancelled.

http://www.continentseven.com/2012/11/1 ... sion-news/

If the windsurfers had been ready to argue the case properly 5 months ago things would probably have been different, but they didn't and now we can look forward to 4 years of development that will move light wind kiting forward even quicker. There will be some technical advances from lightwind racing that will spill over into other areas of kiting.

The RSX was a static class using older technology so it wasn't relevant to most windsurfers anyway. They may come back in 2020 with a box rule class or something interesting. In the meantime, expect another group of RSX sailors who were waiting for this final decision to switch over to kite racing.

That all depends a bit on what happens in Rio. If there are 3 weeks of sub 6 knot winds.....

Kiting is out - RSX re-instated.

Good, the bald middleaged men need something to live for.

Fuuuuuuuck that is the worst news I've heard in a long time

What a bummer... Now everything is just as bad as it used to be in that respect, yiaks what an anticlimax

Damn - such stupidity is hard to find, but apparently present here

Unbelievable but true.

http://www.sailweb.co.uk/Olympic/2366/w ... r-rio-2016

At their AGM they seem to have done a U-Turn.

from above link

* * *

The Annual General Meeting of the International Sailing Federation approved the decision to keep windsurfing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, reverting the initial option for kiteboarding.


In one day, the hopes of kiteboarders changed dramatically, as it was feared in the International Kiteboarding Association headquarters. On the 9th November, proposals to re-open the debate did not receive the required 75% of votes from ISAF Council. The Events and Equipment confirmed the May 2012 decision and Formula Kite would open the way to the "box rule".

Twenty four hours later, as reported by SurferToday.com, things could change and they did. In the morning of the 10th November, kiteboarding was in the Olympic Games. Now, it won't be.

This means that the Rio 2016 Olympic Games set for Brazil will have Men's RS:X and Women's RS:X competitions, only. Tension rose during the entire week.

Both the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and International Windsurfing Association (IWA) did not answer any questions before the ISAF decision proving that anxiety took control of the sports' governing bodies.

During the entire year of 2012, it was clear that IKA and IWA could not communicate efficiently with each other. Cooperative actions were never seen and both wind sports wanted radical changes or conservative approaches, depending on the side.

A few hours before the final decisions, the official IKA page on Facebook was pouring sincere feelings. "First objective for us is not to reopen the debate. If this would happen, then there are various options on the table", IKA wrote.

Windsurfing has been part of the Summer Olympics since 1984 for Men and 1992 for Women. The RS:X class by NeilPryde was introduced in the Olympic movement in Beijing 2008, with the One Design board concept.

Dutch windsurfer Stephan van den Berg was the first windsurfer to win a gold medal in the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. At that time, the class was named "Windglider". Scott Steele (USA) took silver and Bruce Kendall (NZL) took bronze.

Kiteboarders have been working for years to get their sport at the Olympic venues. With the support of media-hyped VIP and even windsurfers, kiteboarding grew and conquered ISAF officials.

As the Olympic drama comes to a close, windsurfers, kiteboarders and ISAF do not leave the process with an immaculate image. Will time heal all the wounds?

The sailing events for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games are:

Men's RS:X
Women's RS:X
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

Sigh

At least the 49ers are there, the most cool and exiting class no doubt

And the Lasers and Finns too - these classes are so much more exciting than the rs:x, as the latter is a thing we DONT want to see (meaning - we dont want to watch the event) - a total disaster not showing what windsurfing is about, but instead use prehistoric equipment NOONE would ever use

I love windsurfing and every aspect of this sport - waves, freestyle, speed, formula racing, open racing

But rs:x ?

Maybe just me - but having sailed dinghys and course racing since the windsurf started in 1978-79 in the early days (nowadays only waves kitesurfing, and in between only wave windsurfing and a bit of freestyle), I find the rs:x class so way out of line with EVERYTHING our two (quite close) sports should represent

And was hoping for a box rule for the olympics with kitesurfing present, so it could be a really good and relatively up to date event (and so much more show for all spectators) - and show the world how competitive and awesome all aspects of kitesurfing is

But it was not to be so...

i mean obviously olympic sailing should be

1) windsurfing
2) kites
3) laser
4) cat

Kiteboarding doesn't need the olympics. The olympic sailing community needs kiteboarding.

The next time they start cutting sports in the olympics so something new can be added, sailing will be the first to go.