is very sad but bound to happen when the windsurfing class is RSX
it just has got no hope of competing against something with the excitement and spectacle of kite racing. perhaps they will bring windsurfing back in the future like the multi hull with a different class like formula
is very sad but bound to happen when the windsurfing class is RSX
sign this. and help some hard working Aussie kids realise their dreams. After the 10 hours/gym a week and 4-5 sessions a week on the water as well as full time uni. This dedication and dream has been wiped by some punters with no idea.
www.change.org/p/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline
WS is in good company. Surfing is not an Olympic sport either.
WS community now has to decide on its format and supply strategies for the next bid for Olympics and get the ISAF on side. If they can go for the simplicity of the Kite concept, why do we persist with RSX or Formula concepts?. Why not go direct to the Slalom format with manufacturers bidding to supply within a design 'box'?
, I fear you will find kitesailing at the olympics will end up the same way, theyre interested in sailor against sailor, they won't allow differences in design or shape. Thats why they use RSX, as boring as it is compared to other sailboarding/windsurfing. Slalom at the olympics sounds like a good idea, Im not sure the old fogeys at ISAF will go for it thoughIt's unfortunate we (sailboarders/kiters) all have to fall under their banner and take their "good" governance onboard when it comes to the olympics
We have always had racing classes at the the Olympics which don't relate all that well to what most sailors do, or what most people like to watch, as there is no wind at most of these places the Olympics is held.
If kiting gets up, it will go the same way - dead boring as you can't do much in 5kn whatever craft you are on.
The PWA tried - Formula was designed to be an Olympic class so it would be almost all planing racing but RS-X got up. Dumb dumbs, the ISAF and Olympic peeps think it has to be one design, but Formula sort of achieves that with restriction of one board and 3 sails (without the need to dedicate your life savings just to give it a try). Can't see slalom will ever get up, needs too much wind
I say indoor!
Indoor freestyle at the olympics would be cool and people would want to queue up to get in - nobody watches the sailing events live
Saw another brand race board at Auswind last week. Similar but it ran 2 38 fronts and 2 42 rears! Thats a lot of fin!
Windsurfers do the odd bit of damage with 1 let alone 4!
Signed the petition www.change.org/p/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline as I feel sorry for those young riders including a number in WA who had Olympic dreams
Personally I couldn't care less about Olympic windsurfing because it is borderline irrelevant and administered by yachties.
BUT I am angry they have just dropped it - I mean if they want WS gone, they could at least phase it out by a certain date in 10yrs or something. Lots of people have spent lots of money on gear and travel, and the training required is huge. I can't even imagine how some people are feeling now, must rip your heart out
To say I am sad that windsurfing is going would be a bit hypocritical, I have never paid any attention to it in previous games.
The RRD video is interesting, in a promotional video where I expect they could use the very best riders and edit to their hearts content they could not show uncut decent tacks or gybes (ok upwind or downwind board-side changes). If this is the format proposed it does not seem to be well developed. Maybe also it will have the same level of interest from kiters being so far divorced from what most kiters do.
To be honest, I think the ideal windsurfing sport to have in the Olympics, would be indoor (high speed) slalom and freestyle like they use to have in the PWA. - This would mean there is no dependency on conditions meaning a high level of performance, and a it could be held anywhere. (Even if there are no lakes, rivers or oceans) And it would make a good spectator event.
EDIT: Just saw marks post sorry.
I am thinking my RSX just lost some resale value. A real disappointing result for windsurfing and particularly for those sailors that have bee investing so much time effort and money. My son did his first race on his brand new techno yesterday I am hoping this class wont be affected but its hard to see how it won't.
The petition is all good but I wonder if large organisations even notice them.
However they will notice emails.
2200 people have signed the petition in 15hrs, imagine if they all email tonight.....http://www.sailing.org/contactisaf.php
Very hard to find a general contact for the IOC but this should work:
email: pressoffice@olympic.org
Edit - found it: secure.registration.olympic.org/en/faq/ask-question
but it only allows 1000 characters in the message box so hey, why not flood the media email too 
It'll be so exciting too watch. 
Gotta love a sport with in-built comedy potential.
out of interest how is kiteboarding meant to work in light winds?
i thought one of the reasons we have the rs:x equipment is that racing needs to be able to be run from 5-30kts... kites don't fly unless its 10+kts?
wonder how those raceboards handle chop, looks like they would be hard to keep level without mastfoot pressure to keep the board in check.
I was just down at the Royal Australian Yacht Club with the QLD RSX coach and he is devastated. The big picture is the conversion of legitimate sporting events for TV attractive codes. The Olympics has always been for me the overcoming of obstacles and human endurance to succeed amongst equal piers, in difficult and technically challenging sports. Windsurfing being the perfect example of such a pursuit. It is the beginning of the end of the Olympic spirit for mine and I really feel for the competitors and families who have dedicated so much to the pursuit of excellence in our awesome but highly underrated sport.
Yet again ISAF and the Olympic Committee have shown that they have no idea in what they are doing with sailing. After the unbelievable decision of having NO Multihulls at London (apparently they are too boring to watch - Finns are much more exciting... hmmmm).
Now they have decided that because there are a lot of people enjoying (not racing) kite boarding then they have booted out windsurfing.
Windsurfing has, after 30 years of Olympic involvement, got a well organised training and racing system which includes youth development and all... now what happens? I feel for all the young up and coming windsurfers who have been working on their olympic dream only to have a group of Out of Touch administrators destroy their years of work..
Look on Sailing Anarchy for info on the history of what happened to Multihulls (Tornado Class). They have got Multi's back in for 2016, Let's hope Windsurfing rightly gets this decision changed..
Dave Sandos - NZL46.com
Aside from my other thread....
Kite racing may be the lowest participation sport ever to be granted olympic status.
I can't believe there are any more than 1000 people globally who have ever raced. It cheapens the olympics, cheapens the medal and makes a mockery out of the ISAF.
Is anyone really that surprised? The ISAF review the events for the Olympics like any other discipline. They can only have so many, so they are not able to add one without dropping another. (cycling dropped a road event to include BMX). Every few years the ISAF review the classes and for some reason with windsurfing their are challenges to the class. The mistral was dumped for the RSX (pryde by the way), and I remember starboard made a push to dump the RSX after its debut with a one design formula - it failed. So I gather that the manufacturer of the one design kite / board has approached the ISAF and their pitch got up. Pretty simple really. It will run for a few years or not depends on wind
, and then be reviewed.
Whilst it is unfortunate for guys and girls who have invested time and money into this goal, it is I'm sad to say the way sport is. Personally I think the RSX class was a step backwards from the IMCO, and maybe the ISAF agrees, who knows.
the fin and laser are identical in everyone but the keen sailors eye, the fin should be dropped to bring back windsurfing
