In response to the RSX windsurfings smear campaign against the inclusion of kiteboarding in the Olympics, the IKA has this week released a video...

And it's a beauty! Nobody could argue that kiteboard racing isn't a worthy sport after seeing this promo clip. It just smacks of elite athletes, tactical decisions and balls-to-the-wall kind of sailing that the Olympic Sailing really needs in order to sustain public interest! 

For an idea about what's really involved in this new discipline, skip to 3:17 in the video below. If that's not heart pumping enough for you, then you're probably not going to find much else to get you going. With speeds of around 30 knots on an average day, riders change places in a matter of seconds and the top guys come excruciatingly close to each other on opposite tacks. It's all over in a matter of minutes and best of all, it looks spectacular to the general public. 

The discipline is also at a crucial point in the sports development right now, because there's about to be a vote on whether all equipment is standardised into a one design setup like the RS:X boards and all other olympic classes. Or the current 'box rule' system stays in place, which allows different companies to make whatever boards they like, as long as they fit within a box that's 190cm long and 70cm wide. Riders are all very strongly in favour of the 'box rule' standard, as it keeps costs very low and allows each rider to be sponsored by the kite and kite board companies. 

For all the details on the box rule vs one design racing, plus all the course layouts, scoring systems and some very cool shots of kiteboard racers going very fast. Check out the video below.