Kitesurfing 2020 in Olympia?

[Toby]

Well, now that there is no more wrestling, there should be many more Gold Medals for other sports available.

I heard they consider baseball and wakeboarding.

Since we were almost in in 2016, will we be for sure in for 2020?

[Dr Makani]

I'll take this one for the team

I think it doesn't matter having kitesurfing or kiteboarding promoted into an official Olympic sport. There are so many sports listed like indigence for Twinkies. What does count in our day and age is media coverage, like the Xgames. Lame 10 second coverage from the Olympic games just doesn't rock the boat and won't shake a couch potato off his ass. But events like the Xgames do.

So instead of having cheese and violin with that whine the kite community should create events like the Xgames: Diverse, ambitious and colorful ...

Participating in the Olympic Games is like having a Twinkie in your butt (with the wrapper) ...

peace

[backcountry]

Listening to sports talk radio on this very topic yesterday. No mention of kiting, however they were looking at adding golf-primarily due to the corporate sponsors that they will be able to attract. Not sure that kiting is mainstream enough to draw "big" sponsors. More of a question than a statement. I would love to see kiting get in-much better than watching rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis, race walking...

[Toby]

the advantages are:

- some of us can be part of the Olympic games. I think being within all those sports people is the most amazing experience one can have
- youth will get supported from national associations
- more sponsoring opportunities for the riders to make some bucks
- arguments against banning us from beaches (e.g. see Switzerland, the general ban might get lifted)

[Bradn]

The olympics are a business plain and simple.
If kitesurfing was in, to make money they have to make it extremely media and tv friendly.
they do this using the absolute crap format of racing where the "winner takes all"

Sailing is and always should be about rewarding consistency

I would rather it be non-olympic and keep a normal regatta style setup than be forced to change to the crap that the IOC wants.