SPLEENE Talk – Kitesurfing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris
The decision was finally made in mid-2018: Kitesurfing will become an Olympic sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It has been a long road to get there, but it seems that the Olympic Association is increasingly focusing on sports that are also popular with young people. In addition to kitesurfing, surfing, BMX, baseball and karate have also been made Olympic in recent years. The efforts to make the Olympics attractive to a young target group will definitely benefit kitesurfing. If kitesurfing gets more attention, hopefully more sponsorship money will flow in this direction in the future.
Which kitesurfing discipline will be Olympic?
Which kites and which kitefoil will be used at the Olympics?
In what conditions will the Olympic kitesurfing competitions be held?
Professional kitesurfers start with Olympic training
What is the kitefoil race format at the Olympics?
The sailing events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place from July 28 to August 8, 2024. As part of the official kiteboarding format, the Formula Kite class, a total of 40 riders (20 men and 20 women) will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. The opening series for men and women will take place on August 4, 5, 6 and 7 from 5 am to 1 pm. The medal race for both genders is scheduled for August 7 from 5 am to 1 pm.
The riders will complete a course marked out with buoys, which includes sections where they have to ride against the wind (upwind), with the wind (downwind) and sideways to the wind (reach). The buoys serve as reference points and mark the distance the athletes have to cover. During the race, the riders skilfully switch between the different sections of the course, optimize their sail and kite positions and make tactical decisions in order to achieve the best possible speed and efficiency.
