Windsurfing is out of the olimpic games

Great news for windsurfing! Now we need to work together with kiting as wind-board sports to make sure ISAF doesn't pit us against each other again.

After that let's work on a rece format that is truly versatile and truly shows the pinnacle of windsurfing.

I'm thinking "Progressive" one design: an up to date, whiteboard, Full-on raceboard, which will have its design revised every two years, both the must current and previous design would be race-legal with a handicap rule applied to the older design in order to maintain the same competitive level and help low-budget programs get in the racing.

This way we can keep cost down AND maintain a modern board and sail in the water.

We don't want to repeat the IMCO situation, where, while being a great board back in1989 (when it was first introduced) it certainly showed it's age at Athens 2004.

I'm proposing a "whiteboard" design so different manufacturers can build their own and keep supply high with competitive pricing, manufacturers will pay royalty fees to the designer of such a board

[Krister]

Wasn't it a "whiteboard" design that gave us the RSX that nobody wants to use....
Why not make it a formula board rather than a race board and finally have a modern design in the OS?

[Gyurmo]

hi,

you dont understand whats happened?? you are not alone... lots decision makers dont understand whats happened!!! that is the really sad part of this story. what kind of people leading this sailing sport whom let happened what happened in may??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????

anyway...

maybe help you to see clearer picture about the actions of 9-10 november. here is the official summary:

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2012 ISAF Annual Conference

Dun Laoghaire, Ireland


After three days of meetings, the ISAF Annual Conference drew to a close today as the final decisions affecting the sport moving forward were made.

Hosted in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, hundreds of delegates gathered from 1 November 2012 to discuss sailing across the world.

Olympic Events And Equipment

The Olympic events and equipment was high on the agenda of the ISAF Council and after hearing the reports from the 2012 ISAF events and the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, business moved on to discussing submissions.

23 submissions relating to the events and equipment for Rio 2016 were received by ISAF in advance of the Conference. In accordance with the ISAF Regulations, before the detail of any of these particular submissions could be discussed, Council were required to vote on a motion to re-open the debate on the subject. The Regulations specify that 75% of members must agree to the motion.

The submissions were presented as six proposals and Council asked to vote on them in terms of the specific changes they proposed. The first proposal grouped together the submissions that only dealt with men's kiteboarding and women's kiteboarding (020-12, 025-12, 027-12, 050-12, 051-12, 052-12, 053-12, 054-12, 055-12, 056-12, 057-12, 058-12 and 062-12). 26 Council members voted in favour and 12 were against.

Proposal 2, which featured Submission 063-12, related to Men's Kiteboarding, Women's Kiteboarding and 2nd One Person Dinghy - Finn. 14 Council members voted in favour and 23 were against and 1 abstained.

Proposals 3, 4, 5 & 6 relating to Submissions 064-12, 065-12, 071-12 and 094-12 respectively did not receive the required proposer and seconder around the table so were not considered.

With 38 possible votes, the 75% requirement was not achieved on either proposal so the events and equipment as approved in May 2012 remain for Rio 2016.

However, at the ISAF General Assembly part of the business for the 106 Member National Authorities (MNAs) who were present was to review any regulations made or amended in any substantive way by Council since the last Ordinary Meeting which was in November 2011.

ISAF had been notified of three amendments proposed by MNAs which concerned the first two lines of Regulation 23.1.4 (Men's and Women's Kiteboarding).

As defined in the Articles of ISAF, decisions at the General Assembly shall be taken by a simple majority of votes of those present and entitled to vote. There were 114 possible voters, including the ISAF President and Vice-Presidents.

After a lengthy debate the MNAs approved the first proposal which reinstated Men's and Women's Boards - RS:X.

ISAF Regulation 23.1.4 now reads:

Men's Board - RS:X
Women's Board - RS:X
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Men's 2nd One Person Dinghy - Finn
Men's Skiff - 49er
Women's Skiff - 49erFX
Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17

All other changes to the ISAF Regulations were approved.

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hope its help,
gyurmo

[Gyurmo]

maybe the easiest to understand explanation:

http://www.sail-world.com/Europe/ISA...back-in/103684

gyurmo

Gyurmo tks.
It is now clear that windsurfing has one more chance.
Maybe this scare has finally opened up the windsurfing community's eye's and brought everyone together focused on a common goal. Maybe now windsurfing manufacturers, the various classes / associations and the sports best sailors past present and future will get together in a formal and regular setting to keep the sport modern representative and visually exciting.
The Olympics is a huge business and as a fringe sport, windsurfing will survive if the fans want to see it! If the fans want to see it then it must be great to watch and that means high performance, pants on fire racing on really hot equipment!
Can't wait to ride

Originally Posted by unregistered

hi fellow windsurfers,

i love windsurfing and i have done it for over 10 years. I love sailing more than anything else.
But there is something that has always bug me for years. I've seen windsurfing in the olimpics and when is light wind, it is exremely boring to watch. Not to mention that the gear is boring, plain and out of touch. I do not understand why the rs-x flee looks like that. There is nothing more appealing that watching freestyle, wave riding or slalom races. Full of colors.... And very fun to watch. Why not the same to the olimpic class???
I think kite has done nothing but being kitsurfing. The fault of windsurfing being out of the olimpics is windsurfing. Me personally i showed the windsurfing rs-x on tv to my non-windsurfer friends and they thought this was extremely boring and thought i did the same. I felt sorry for myself and for the competitors. Not to mention this is a very demanding sport and the competitors should deserve credit.
Oh, and i amost forget: I also dislike the kona race. Omg!!!
Time changes, gear changes, athlete changes, everything changes.... F1 races look totally different than 15 years ago....

I do not blame them.

Is time for windsurfing to learn from their mistakes and make a renovation. Let the new kid bring new and fresh ideas and hopefully the old man get something out from it....

I love windsurfing for life!!!!

thank you man!!!

[Krister]

Well, Kona is unfortunately made for those who sailed in the 80-ties and don't want to change their style of sailing.

Formula gets going before kites do, so if they almost included kite, I cannot se why Formula wouldn't work in OS. Then you get a klass that is still being developed and gear that people actually like to sail on without taking part in the Olympics or any other competitions.

There was some great racing at Weymouth including a photo finish, they were lucky to get reasonable breezes. So if the class adopts the Evo the planning threshold will be down close to formula - but they can still get round whatever happens in Rio wind wise.

[Gyurmo]

this is what i asked few days ago:

that is the really sad part of this story. what kind of people leading this sailing sport whom let happened what happened in may??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????

and the fair answer from rory ramsen head of rs:x class:

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Dream on: Rio 2016 Beckons
Sunday, 11 November 2012 12:47

Never have so many fought for so long and so successfully
to get a class re-instated on the Olympic sailing programme.
This team effort involved people all over the world on many
different levels and in many different ways. The fact that the
ISAF General Assembly voted strongly in support of windsurfing
and the RS:X for Rio 2016, is testament to the passion and
determination of all these people.
You helped to keep the story alive during the long six month fight.

This morning the dreams of thousands of young windsurfers are reinvigorated. Their chance to race in the Olympic sailing regatta is restored.

Thanks for your support and your constant belief that we could do what no other part of the sailing community has achieved in the past.

This battle was fought using all the levers available. 31,254 people signed the online petition. 20,000 joined the "Appeal" page on Facebook (Thanks Adam). 14,342 followed the 'Vote Windsurfing' Facebook page. And countless others worked tirelessly in the background to lobby MNAs and turn the groundswell of opinion into a tsunami of voters at the General Assembly.

This was a truly Olympic effort and just like as in any boat race only one can win. We know how the world of kite board racing must feel for it is how we felt on May 5th. The disappointment must be palpable. They are gracious in a defeat and that will only strengthen their determination to bid again for Olympic selection.

We will do our best to help them in that endeavour right up to where the line is drawn. The line that may never be crossed under any circumstances. Windsurfing will fight and fight hard to stay in the Olympic sailing programme when threatened.

In our heart of hearts, we both know that this was a fight neither of us wanted. A compromise would have weakened the appeal of both sports to small and emerging nations round the world. Now is the time for both windsurfing and kite to take stock.

Windsurfing as a global sport slept walked into this nightmare. No one really believed that the men and women's windsurfing events would be dropped. The fact that it was woke a lot of people up. We can never again be caught napping.

Kiteboarding ran a skilful campaign. They focused on their strengths and made a strong presentation but were ultimately found wanting because the discipline of kite board racing is still new and their equipment is not fully developed. Four more years will see big changes.

As for me, it was always my intention to step down after the RS:X was selected for Rio 2016. I never expected that to be so difficult so now is the time, after almost 30 years since I ran my first IMCO European Championships in Guernsey, Channel islands to stand back and let a new generation take the sport forward to Rio and on to who knows where in 2020 and beyond.

Good luck and keep the dream that we have all share alive

Rory
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gyurmo

[Gyurmo]

hi,

i think this tv shows show it how beautiful and exciting can be a windsurfing race, even a course race. these were the medal race for girls and boys after 10 races. on the sails you can see the competitors' overal result before the medal race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhjrASOqy_s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL47qcX97Lc

congrats for the british tv team!!

gyurmo