Most of the globe’s quickest young kiteboarders have gathered on China’s tropical Hainan island for an intriguing showdown to fight for the final spots to compete at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina. The coveted TwinTip: Racing (TT:R) Slalom Youth World Championship titles to be fought out over the next five days of intense action will also serve as the stage for the YOG qualifiers, with four slots each available for boys and girls all under 19. Twelve of the total of 24 places at the youth games in Buenos Aires in October have already been allocated at three International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) qualifiers in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, Dakhla, Morocco, and Pranburi, Thailand. But with so many strong boys and girls still looking for a YOG berth to contest the inaugural kiteboarding medals after just missing out in their continental regional qualifiers, the world’s fastest have made the journey to Bo’ao’s Asia Bay to bid for spots. Thirty-eight boys and 24 girls from 32 countries and all six continents will battle in the TT:R format of spectacular downwind slalom races specially-developed for the YOG to best showcase the sheer exhilaration of kiting. Scores of six or eight-person heats …