Daecheon Beach, Boryeong — When five-time Olympian Mike Gebhardt asserts that kiting securing a berth at the 2020 Tokyo Games would change everything in the sport, with an explosion of interest and money, it is not to be taken lightly. The renowned racing coach, who helped foiling prodigy Daniela Moroz to her first Formula Kite World Championship title last year at just 15 and Rob Douglas to the 2017 International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Speed World Championship crown, knows what he is talking about. On the sidelines of the IKA KiteFoil GoldCup series’ opening round in Boryeong’s Daecheon Beach in Korea—where a stubborn absence of wind on day three again allowed no racing—Gebhardt was confident of new and even brighter horizons. Kiteboarding is to be considered as a “showcase” event—short of full medal status—by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the coming months after World Sailing’s (WS) Council put the sport forward for inclusion. If the IOC agrees the WS proposal—kiting operates under the auspices of WS through the IKA—it is likely that some form of “short-track” kitefoil racing for men and women would grace the XXXII summer Olympiad. Gebhardt, who was instrumental in ensuring kiteboarding momentarily won an Olympic medal …
International Olympic Committee
Kiteboarding Hopeful “Showcase” Event for Tokyo Olympics
Unfortunately as we all know in wind sports, the wind does not play ball and the forecasters get it wrong – today was that day here in Daecheon, which sadly left the riders beach bound for the day. However, for the KTA Media team it was a chance to look behind the scenes a little and while the video team descended on the crew and officials, the kiteboarding worlds race reporter took the opportunity to update the sports biggest story, that of the 2020 Olympic Games. Daecheon Beach, Boryeong — Kiteboarding hopes to earn a place on the Olympic stage at the Tokyo 2020 Games after World Sailing (WS) proposed it as one of two “showcase” disciplines to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In a late February WS Council meeting delegates decided men’s and women’s kiteboarding events should grace the XXXII summer Olympiad, along with keelboat racing, in addition to sailing’s existing 10 medal disciplines. The IOC will consider the proposal in the coming months, but any final move on the “showcase” events would come after the decision about the Olympic medal events in July. As the wind refused to play ball on the second day of the IKA KiteFoil …
