Kiteboarding has been included already in several Regional Games like the Central American & Caribbean Games, the Pan American Games, the World Beach Games and the African Beach Games with individual medals.

The proposal for Paris 2024 is a mixed relay style event.

Equipment Criteria for Mixed Kite:
Board concept: Foiling
Weight range men: 65-85kg
Weight range women: 50-70kg
Kite size for Men: 7-21 m2.
Kite size for Women: 7-21 m2.
Kite system: RAM-Air (foil-kite)
Number of permitted kites per event: 4 high performance, high aspect ratio kites
Number of permitted hydrofoil systems per event: 1 high performance, high aspect ratio hydrofoil system
Same hydrofoil system, board and kites scheme for men and women.
Equipment to be licensed once per Olympic cycle to ensure level playing field. The proposed timeline is that the licenced equipment will be confirmed 3 years before the next Olympic Games. This is not selecting new equipment but licencing improved models of the same equipment. The selection criteria should include manufacturing tolerances, quality management, worldwide distribution network and time, and other criteria as outlined in the current Olympic Classes contract.
Suitable wind range for competition: 5-40 knots.
Builder / Class structure: Registered Series Production Scheme with multiple licensed builders. All equipment within a model/series must be identical, and must be available worldwide without restrictions. World Sailing, in close cooperation with the class, manages the control of builders and licenses equipment.

Format proposal: Various options, including:

• Short Track Relay on a short windward/leeward course, with team members (male and female) covering laps alternating, with a changeover zone. Competition may consist of an opening series in heats and a knockout stage including winner takes all final or other form of final (i.e. best of x race wins). Proposed target time 10 minutes for 4 laps, each team member covers 2 laps with a total of 3 changeovers.
• Or format detailed in a separate submission but not binding to the present submission
• Or "Format criteria to be approved by Council through other submissions

Other Equipment considerations: The proposed registered series production equipment scheme is fully supported by sailors, the industry and the wider kiteboarding community over a one-design solution and reflects the IOC "urban sports" vision with variety of equipment similar to what is common in snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. Equipment will be "frozen" per Olympic cycle to ensure confidence and reliability in equipment investment while ensuring controlled evolution from one Olympic cycle to the next. The selected class should be run by a well-established worldwide class authority with well-developed class rules following the ERS and SCR format.

Reasons:

Format:

(a) A mixed kiteboarding relay event is a competition format that does not otherwise exist in Olympic Sailing and provides a unique signature for the event as encouraged by the IOC.

(b) A consistent format (men and women racing the same course and do not compete in different disciplines or on separate courses) reduces coaching costs compared to a multi-discipline event.

(c) The relay format does not require the male and the female team members to sail on the same boat, making the format friendlier to cultures that do not encourage cross gender interaction.

(d) As a new discipline of sailing, MNA acceptance for a first-past-the-post racing format based on windward/leeward courses increases wider acceptance.

(e) Rules and officiating are mostly identical with dinghy sailing.

Equipment:

(a) The registered series production equipment scheme has been successfully used in Sailing World Cups from 2014 to 2016, in the 2018 Sailing World Championships and is the chosen equipment option for the Central American & Caribbean Games, the PanAmerican Games, the World Beach Games and the African Beach Games. Sailors and MNAs have already invested in compliant equipment and are familiar with the equipment and procedures.

(b) The principle of registered series production equipment represents universal and mainstream kiteboard racing with world-wide accessibility and popularity. There is no need and no demand for one-design monotypes as this does not reflect the reality of kiteboard racing and would stand against the demands of the sailors.

(c) Registered series production equipment ensures state-of-the art equipment for each Olympic Games while avoiding an arms race. New builders and equipment can get licensed once every Olympic cycle, allowing the market to expand and ensuring strong competition between builders, resulting in better quality at lower prices without the risks associated with monopolies.

(d) All licensed registered series production equipment follows In-House Certification principles, minimizing measurement and equipment inspection costs at events. In case of selection the process will be included into the World Sailing in-House Certification program.

(e) Using the same hydrofoil system, board and kite scheme for men and women reduces equipment investment and coaching costs.

(f) The model of equipment "supply", together with "bring your own" is successfully implemented by other equipment sports like snowboarding, skiing, surfing, skateboarding and other "urban" sports and adds with its "look and feel" to the appeal to a young audience, as encouraged by the IOC.

(g) The principle of the proposed registered series production equipment scheme (including "bring your own") has been already successfully proven for the Youth Olympic Games with a large variety of different brands and models winning races and competitions. The sailor is winning the race, not the equipment.

(h) A Registered Series Production Equipment scheme with multiple brands / builders enables sponsorship from manufacturers for sailors and national teams. It is expected that good sailors will not have to buy their equipment as it will be provided for free by competing manufacturers for publicity reasons.

(i) It is expected that the majority of the higher ranked competitors (and their MNA's) will not have to purchase equipment and will be able to enter sponsorship agreements with manufacturers.

(j) The vast majority of contenders for the YOG places (including many from emerging and developing nations) have competed on fully sponsored equipment.

(k) A Registered Series Production scheme allows sailors to choose equipment suitable for their body physics, resulting in a wide range of sailor types competing on a level playing field with equipment provided by manufacturers around the world. This is only possible through the availability of different models of equipment, with the same overall performance around the race course:

1.    In the current Men's Formula Kite Top 10, the size of the sailors ranges from 168 to 198 cm, and the weight ranges from 69 to 85 kg.
2.    In the current Women's Formula Kite Top 10, the size of the sailors ranges from 158 to 180 cm, and the weight ranges from 49 to 69 kg

(l) Multiple kites do not only ensure racing in the widest possible wind range but are also a safety consideration. Kiteboards are able to sail in very high winds, ensuring that World Sailing can provide content to TV and media no matter what the conditions are.

(m) Multiple kites do not increase equipment costs as each kite is used proportionately less. Furthermore, sailors automatically have spares with them. A strong second hand market with high resale value exists for this type of equipment.