The Formula Kite class is a high performance hydrofoiling class using regulated series registered production equipment freely available.
For Regional Games and a possible inclusion in the Olympic Games, one hydrofoil model and one kite model will be selected for a plain level playing field and to avoid an arms race.
The KiteFoil class is a full development class with minimal equipment limitation, allowing brands to test the latest equipment on the market.
The GoldCup tour is the sports premium event series with events all around the world and a strong focus on media production and prize money level.
The Expression Disciplines currently include Freestyle, Big Air, Wave Riding, Strapless Freestyle and Park. Competition is judged on difficulty and execution rather than "first past the post".
World Sailing, IKA and GKA have agreed to share the responsibilities for the Expression Disciplines with the Open World Titles awarded through professional tours.
Kiteboarding has been included in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games with a boardercross event on IKA TwinTip:Racing equipment, for boys and girls born between 2000 and 2003.
Have a look here to learn more about equipment limitations, formats and qualification opportunities.
The IKA continues to campaign for an inclusion of kiteboarding in the 2020 Tokyo Games and several Regional Games on One Design Kitefoiling Equipment.
The Formula Kite class is the only afforadable solution for emerging and developing nations to compete in high performance classes and ticks all boxes of the IOC requirements, especially for youth and media appeal.
The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and the Kiteboard Pro World Tour (KPWT) today announced that they have entered a long term cooperation. All events of the KPWT tour will be sanctioned by the IKA and count towards the first officially ISAF sanctioned world championship title.
“This agreement launches a new era of kiteboarding – a significant step forward in the development of the sport in general and unified rules and rankings in particular” said Markus Schwendtner, Executive Secretary of the IKA, which has recently become an ISAF international class.
“We are happy to work together with the KPWT, the first professional kiteboarding tour, and especially with Frederic Gravoille, who brought up competition kiteboarding about ten years ago.” Schwendtner continues.
“Our organizations complement each other in a perfect way, with our experience over the past years and the IKAs connection to the international sailing community we are sure to be able to properly develop both rules and disciplines, lift kiteboarding to the next level and gain reputation. We have been working on building up kiteboarding since 1998, and it is a great opportunity for us to become our tour officially sanctioned by IKA and ISAF. This is a big step for kiteboarding and the KPWT, 2009 will see a very exciting series for the World Championship Title,” Frederic Gravoille, tour manager of the KPWT states.
The agreement includes the sanction of the KPWT tour events as well as the development of world wide unifed rules and ranking systems. The IKAs intention is to unify the international kiteboarding community under the well respected umbrella of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), which officially approved a kiteboarding world championship title for the first time in 2009.
Details about the upcoming rules and ranking system for 2009 are expected to be published in the next weeks, as well as the schedule for the 2009 world cup.
