Kite Racing Difficult at Olympic Venue

Sailing is without a doubt one of the most expensive sports for the IOC to have at the Olympics. Efforts are underway to curb those expenses (such as reducing the duration of the Olympic regatta). The introduction of kiteboard racing in Rio, however, would go against that trend and add major logistical issues, expenses and uncertainty for the IOC.

In particular:

• The kite racers would need to launch from the beach south of the marina (which will be busy with other sports), or from a fleet of dedicated boats;
• The venue is predicted to feature very low wind velocity, increasing the risk that kite races would be cancelled or experience unwelcome delays;
• The natural and city landscape around the venue will make for shifty and possibly dangerous sailing conditions for kite racers.

Those problems are substantial, and would simply not exist with the RS:X classes.

A thorough analysis of the suitability of the Rio Olympic venue to kite racing may be found below. You may also download a higher resolution version in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

Tags: Event Management