Five recommendations would remove Formula Kite. IKA is putting forward the option the Brisbane 2032 review left out: retain the Men’s and Women’s Events and select new Equipment.
The International Kiteboarding Association has shared two new documents with the relevant World Sailing committees, members of the Board of Directors and Council, Member National Authorities and the wider sailing community as part of the ongoing review of the Olympic sailing programme for Brisbane 2032.
The documents set out IKA’s assessment of the Joint Working Group report and present a practical option for retaining the Men’s and Women’s Formula Kite Events while selecting new Equipment under World Sailing Regulation 11.5(a)(iii).
Formula Kite earned its Olympic place through its speed, innovation, gender equality, youth appeal and very small venue footprint. Its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games showed why kiteboarding belongs in the Olympic programme, while the International Olympic Committee has shown clear interest in the sport and the qualities it brings to the Games.
Formula Kite is still a young Olympic class. Continued uncertainty over its Olympic future has made long-term investment more difficult for MNAs, athletes and manufacturers. IKA also recognises that genuine issues have been raised concerning Equipment cost, durability and the competitive athlete-weight range.
The Class has matured, and practical solutions are now ready.
IKA proposes retaining the Men’s and Women’s Events while selecting new one-design kite and foil Equipment against clear criteria, including affordability, reliability, durability, performance and delivery capacity. The proposed measures reduce Equipment quantity and cost, improve durability, broaden the competitive athlete-weight range and preserve Formula Kite’s proven wind range and Olympic delivery capability.
However, this option is not included in the current review. All five recommendations remove Formula Kite, while several conclusions concerning wind range, campaign cost, coach-boat operations and venue requirements do not reflect the available evidence. IKA believes these matters require careful examination before two Olympic-tested Events are replaced by concepts whose Equipment, formats and delivery systems are not yet established at Olympic level.
“We are not asking World Sailing to avoid change,” said IKA President Spyros Krotsis. “We are asking for a genuine choice. Formula Kite has demonstrated its Olympic value, we recognise the areas that must improve, and we have a practical solution ready to address them. Any change of this significance must be approached with great care. With only six years until Brisbane 2032, some of the proposed alternatives still lack a clearly defined competition format, selected Equipment and an established delivery system. Retaining the Events while selecting new Equipment must therefore be assessed fairly before any decision is made to replace them.”
IKA has published two documents:
- Formula Kite 2032 – The Option Missing from the Report
A concise two-page brief presenting the missing regulatory option, IKA’s proposed Equipment solution and six findings requiring close examination. - Formula Kite 2032 – Evidence, Olympic Value and the Decision Ahead
A detailed assessment of the evidence and conclusions contained in the Joint Working Group’s report, with direct references to the relevant report lines.
IKA invites athletes, coaches, manufacturers, National Class Associations, Member National Authorities and the wider sailing community to read the documents and understand the choices now facing the sport.
The decision is not simply whether Formula Kite should change. The real question is whether World Sailing should replace two Olympic-tested Events or retain them and implement a ready, lower-risk reform.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk
