I'm sick to my stomach that we had to kill windsurfing at the Olympics in order to get in. From what I can tell, I'm not the only one. How about we take the moral high ground and do something about it?
The IKA represents our interests at ISAF. Let's ask the IKA to decline those spots on the Olympic Sailing Programme as long as Windsurfing isn't reinstated. Can you imagine the message that would send? If ISAF and the IOC are so desperate to add youth and media appeal to the Olympic Regatta, let them find a solution.
What's the worst thing that can happen? We're kicked out of the Olympics, and so is Windsurfing. But we'll be able to hold our heads high. Doesn't that count for something? And who knows, freed from the constraints that ISAF places on our sports, we might team up with our other friends on the beach (surfers, freestylers, paddlers, etc.) and carve our own path into the Olympics!
Let's show what it means to be 'brothers.' Let's stand up for each other! Please add your name to this petition:
www.change.org/p/ika-say-no-to-olympics-without-windsurfing
Kitewind is a windsurfer .. Why have you come on this forum posing as a kitesurfer??
Kitewind also created the petition but didn't own up to it in his post.
Dodgy dealings my brother. 
Kitesurf Race will be the fastest Sailing Class ever in the Olympics!
Its like the 100m Sprint in Athletics ;) and Johnny Heineken is Bolton lol
I watched the Olympics on Austar and it was awesome. Cant wait to see the Kiters in there flying over the water. Its going to be exciting to watch kite racing and im sure this part of the sport will go far. Its fast and lots of fun to watch kites shoot through the sky and tangle at the start line.
They could have raced windsurfers and kiters together but then the windsurfers wld just get left behind..
AMEN
Guys, I enjoy BOTH kiting AND windsurfing, and I just can't stand that ISAF is driving a wedge between us, that's all. There are two ways to go about it: either "let it ride" like kiteboy dave is saying, or try and do something about it.
I'm making no mystery that I wrote that petition - I'm even using the exact same language! But it's all cool: if you don't like it, don't sign it.
It's Rio..... I think kitesurfing is a great addition.
Get rid of taekwando. That ITF flicky foot stuff was not entertaining to watch and is so far from a martial art its noy funny, put in MMA, and Brazil will win a few more gold medals.
I signed the petition. I think windsurfing should be retained, and said so here www.peterskiteboarding.com/2012/05/kitesurfing-in-olympic-games-but.html
I'm with Hamburglar
What a complete commercialized mess it has become.
Would love to see just the basics of human ability.
Running, jumping throwing etc.
november vote and court case r going to be interesting. I expect may industry people inc manufacturers are being cautious about investing too much cash right now into the expectation just in case decision reversed.
it is kind of weird kiting was chosen with no idea of kit, rules, course or discipline (eg slalom traditional course vs something new specific to kites) with kiters themselves still arguing over what to try next from the course side of things.
It really has put everything in limbo. Will that course board be worth 1/2 in 8 months or maybe a 1/4, and will you be able to choose from a quiver of boards prior to event based of condition forecast because right now there is no way one board will cover all conditions if you want to be a winner.
I think ISAF IKA partnership was the wrong choice and a top respected and respectable pro olympic kite racer should front up and go direct to IOC and explain the real life complications (not the IKA olympic report ones) of joining a kite power sport under the umbrella of sailing and do things properly. To have ISAF telling kiters what to do with regards to anything safety related is super dangerous - eg limiting kite choices prior to events.
Interesting - this got full green thumbs in the windsurf forum and full red here. Who woulda thunk it? 
I think the proposal has some merit (and no, not just cos I windsurf). Some kiters may not be aware that after the vote many countries on the ISAF committee have said they voted in error or would change their vote if they could. The reason being that they did not know that the board intended the vote to be between kiting and windsurfing. That is, they thought they were voting for kiting to be in (and rightly so) but did not know that meant windsurfing would be out. And regardless of which sport you do, that is just not right.... one wonders if the head honcho blokes were swayed by sponsorship $$$ and didn't tell the rest of the committee the whole story.
Since then, some countries rep's have been lobbied by their constituents in their own sailing scene and now realise they did not vote in accordance with all their member's wishes.... probably because the vote was sprung on them without knowing it was a WS vs KS vote.
I'd like to see both in, they are both better to watch than most sailing classes.
The November vote will be interesting ..... and kiters saying "we are happy to be in, but fairs fair what's the go with kicking the windsurfers out?" (which is all this petition aims to do) will help both sport's credibility.
For who? They have to get a 75% majority to reverse. I don't see the benefit in this ongoing discussion. There are no new points being made.
I thought Olympics was supposed to be amature anyway - those pro tennis players should get the boot plus anyone driving one of those poncy dancing horses
