There has been extended discussion in recent weeks about the development of athletes' weights in several Olympic classes, including potential resulting health issues.
The IKA Executive Committee is taking these discussions very serious and has investigated them not only since the public discussion started, but already from before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It is understood that Formula Kite, being the fastest Olympic Summer Games event, is very physical and has a different ideal body physique than other sailing disciplines. As a matter of fact, not all sailing events (and their associated equipment) need to cater for the same body physique, and Formula Kite racing is no different. It also holds true that single point foiling classes in general benefit from a higher body strength/weight compared to other classes.
The Executive Committee has reached out to the competitors as well as to World Sailing to understand where the priorities of World Sailing (being ultimately in charge for the events in the Olympic Games) and the interests of the athletes can accommodate each other.
Sailing is an inclusive sport, it should cater for the majority of the world population when it comes to Olympic events, but inclusive also means that in principle every athlete has a chance to compete regardless of their body physique and should not be excluded as such. The equipment rules however may mean that not all equipment is equally ideal of all of the body types of the world from small to tall and light to heavy.
Following the World Sailing Annual Conference last week in Singapore, World Sailing has established a working party to further address the issue and provide guidance to the Formula Kite class which actions could be taken in the short term (for the LA 2028 quad) and the long term (past LA 2028). This includes discussion about smaller dedicated women's foils, for which discussions with the Hydrofoil manufacturers have already started. We are hopeful that we will receive guidance from World Sailing before the end of this year, including guidance on what level of actions is acceptable during the already started LA 2028 quad.
In the meantime, the class will experiment with new course configurations which add technical elements that may mitigate the effect of body weight.
There will be no submissions regarding class rule changes to address this issue at this years IKA General Assembly, but we encourage all members to take part in the discussion at the General Assembly and provide their feedback and viewpoint in order for the class to be prepared once further recommendations from World Sailing are received. If necessary, the class will then call a Extraordinary General Meeting to comply with World Sailing guidance or requests.
The link to the 2024 General Assembly registration and documents can be found here: https://www.kiteclasses.org/home/governance/meetings-and-news/22657-agenda-and-submissions-for-the-2024-general-assembly-and-classes-annual-general-meetings-of-the-international-kiteboarding-association
