Please sign to help keeping Windsurfing in the Olympics for 2024:
www.change.org/p/keep-windsurfing-in-the-olympics-for-2024?recruiter=17213461&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=autopublish
Cause the Olympics is gay.....
As if there isn't enough penis heads kiting already...
Let's put it in the Olympics
windsurfing racing is a pretty boring crappy sport that doesn't capitalise on the best aspects of the sport anyway imho.
add to that you need a variable - wind. makes it hard.
I mean it is so far removed from normal winsurfing - large boards that resemble a kayak. super long booms, large sails, yachting triangle courses etc.
The best parts of the sport aren't reflected by the olympic version.
Keep windsurfing in the Olympics because windsurfers haven't suffered enough. What better way to demonstrate a thriving and innovative sport than to represent it by a monopoly design from a single manufacturer that bears no relationship to the gear used by the general community. Maybe they should merge with curling in an effort to attract new participants.
What's the current state of play, Olympics are planing to ditch RSX for kite foiling? Honestly I think kite foiling needs to be in there but so does windsurfing, however surely the RSX is done....i've seen one, ever. Is there a plan to move to foiling with the RSX:Convertable, Surely that's the future?
Currently I reckon there is a good range of classes, but kick the Finn out, again who sails them, add kitefoiling and change the RSX to RSX convertable/foiling, job done
Edit: just had a read of the proposed changes...hilarious, 49er now mixed, no 49er FX, extra single handed womens class....still with the finn....keelboat (ok probably representative), many wtfs'. Maybe offer up a twin rig two person RSX and it might meet their gender quota and only take up one spot....might then have a chance ![]()
Maybe they should merge with curling in an effort to attract new participants.
At least Curling would be half exciting to watch ![]()
They should have a weight-based class. Ride anything you want as long as the total kit weighs less than 20 or 30kg. RS:X board, kite foils, windfoils, exotic carbon creations. Go nuts. Winner take all.
I just looked and there is a version of the Wasp that weighs 40kg. Include them and see what happens.
^^ I like that.
There is so many similar boat classes that I find it a bit rude they want to kick out the only truly different one to put in another different one.
Box rule, that's what Formula was designed for, but add foils allowed. Have windsurfing and kiting.
They should have a weight-based class. Ride anything you want as long as the total kit weighs less than 20 or 30kg. RS:X board, kite foils, windfoils, exotic carbon creations. Go nuts. Winner take all.
I just looked and there is a version of the Wasp that weighs 40kg. Include them and see what happens.
That all sounds great but the reality is anything other than one design favours rich countries budgets over athlete's abilities. Even with one design bigger budgets have an advantage but box rule will greatly increase that. Olympic sailing would become like America's Cup with only a handful of nations.
PS: Wasp foiler's are a one design boat
Yeah waszp would be great, not quite as wild as a moth but OD and close.
My list: would have to beg IOM for one more slot.
Laser: m
Laser radial: W
49er: m
49er FX: W
Nacra 17: mixed
Kite foil: m + W
Windsurfing foil: m+ W
Waszp: m+ W
windsurfing racing is a pretty boring crappy sport that doesn't capitalise on the best aspects of the sport anyway imho.
add to that you need a variable - wind. makes it hard.
I mean it is so far removed from normal winsurfing - large boards that resemble a kayak. super long booms, large sails, yachting triangle courses etc.
The best parts of the sport aren't reflected by the olympic version.
This is so true, but keep it in the olympics and find a way to get the pro's in.
Would have been so cool in the past to see Naish heading up USA, Dunkerbeck for whoever, against, Greg Hyde, Kleppich, Todd for Oz and Kendall for NZ, etc etc.
Tennis, basketball has done it, but in windsurfing the Olympics would have been the pinnacle.
Apart from the old school field events and swimmers etc Im over the Olympics altogether,
Its all about ratings, ![]()
All the sports that have there own championships bigger that the Olympics should not be included.
Bring it back to non professional sport people..
Oh wait, no one will watch so it will collapse,
Now dont get me started on the games and corruption
The first mistake was the 1984 Olympics should have used Windsurfer One Design. The second mistake is the Mistral One Design should never have been dropped. The MOD was first produced in 1989. Worldwide, there are more than 30,000 build since. They are light and tough. In the right hands, they can be sailed in windspeeds of between 5 - 35 knots depending on sea conditions. I am not a fan of the RSX but I voted online we keep the board in the Olympics.
windsurfing racing is a pretty boring crappy sport that doesn't capitalise on the best aspects of the sport anyway imho.
add to that you need a variable - wind. makes it hard.
I mean it is so far removed from normal winsurfing - large boards that resemble a kayak. super long booms, large sails, yachting triangle courses etc.
The best parts of the sport aren't reflected by the olympic version.
This is so true, but keep it in the olympics and find a way to get the pro's in.
Would have been so cool in the past to see Naish heading up USA, Dunkerbeck for whoever, against, Greg Hyde, Kleppich, Todd for Oz and Kendall for NZ, etc etc.
Tennis, basketball has done it, but in windsurfing the Olympics would have been the pinnacle.
Not sure there is any exclusion of the Pros, look at our own Jessica Crisp, 2x professional windsurfing world champion, 4x Olympian
windsurfing racing is a pretty boring crappy sport that doesn't capitalise on the best aspects of the sport anyway imho.
add to that you need a variable - wind. makes it hard.
I mean it is so far removed from normal winsurfing - large boards that resemble a kayak. super long booms, large sails, yachting triangle courses etc.
The best parts of the sport aren't reflected by the olympic version.
This is so true, but keep it in the olympics and find a way to get the pro's in.
Would have been so cool in the past to see Naish heading up USA, Dunkerbeck for whoever, against, Greg Hyde, Kleppich, Todd for Oz and Kendall for NZ, etc etc.
Tennis, basketball has done it, but in windsurfing the Olympics would have been the pinnacle.
Not sure there is any exclusion of the Pros, look at our own Jessica Crisp, 2x professional windsurfing world champion, 4x Olympian
I believe there was.. before becoming pro..Stephan Van Den Berg of Holland won gold 1984 in Windglider in LA, Bruce Wylie of Australia (demonstration in LA Windsurfer Class won gold in 1984) all to turn pro subsequently who sailed in the Olympics. Jessica Crisp is probably Australia's greatest Olympian windsurfer in terms of overall achievement to the present day and also being a pro sailor at Aloha Classic level as of last year. I believe today the fitness of the RSX sailors and indeed the former MOD sailors at Olympic level probably far exceeds the fitness of the todays pro slalom sailor, specifically fit for purpose of Olympic sailing. The Olympic windsurfers are superb athletes.
Probably, but I reckon if you stuck Antoine Albeau on an RSX for a few days he'd beat them all.
I don't think big guys do very well in RSX, I reckon your right in term's of skills and experience but he's a pretty big bloke I think, so that would hold him back.
RSX and Raceboard suit middle weight's whereas big guys do well in Slalom and Formula
....
That all sounds great but the reality is anything other than one design favours rich countries budgets over athlete's abilities. Even with one design bigger budgets have an advantage but box rule will greatly increase that. Olympic sailing would become like America's Cup with only a handful of nations.
PS: Wasp foiler's are a one design boat
Both problems are easily fixed.
Even poor countries have rich people. I have seen lots of people from poor countries with state of the art gear, and often they have the skills to use it.
You can limit the competition to production gear. The products used have to be on the market and have sold so many units by a cutoff date.
Personally I don't like any rule-based solutions. As soon as you introduce complex rules (except for basic safety rules), then you introduce scamming and cheating.
Race. Win. Job done.
Here's another simple criteria you could use. Race on anything you like. You have to be able to pick it up, carry it 50m, Jump in the water and race.
From a spectators perspective - I would replace it with something that's more interesting than kite racing or sailboard racing - like Olympic paint drying or a kettle boiling