GKA Brazil KSWT countdown and Olympic news
Sat 10th Nov, 2018 @ 3:00 am
Round six of the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour at The Ceara Kite Pro is heading to the right place! The wind statistics for Preá in the northern Ceara state in Brazil are incredible, with a wind probability of force 4 and above of 100% from August through to January! There’s over 80% probability for force 5 and the afternoon winds regularly push even higher. So hold tight, it’s going to be an action packed 5-day event, from 20th – 24th November.
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The whole event will be streamed live for the first time.
Preá beach / Praia do Prea is in the Cruz municipality known as the ‘Mecca of Kitesurfing’ and welcomes beginner, amateur and professional kitesurfers from across the four corners of the world to train and vacation at the windy waters.
What else can we tell you about Preá?
- Preá has also shared a border with an Environmental Protection Area (APA) since 1984. Just 12 kilometres from the paradise beach of Jericoacoara, the Washington Post announced it as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world.
- Praia do Preá is also known as Vila de Preá, formed by family descendants of fishermen and women.
- Also, Preá has one of Ceará’s most sustainability-driven hotels. Rancho do Peixe which is the ideal space for those who are looking to enjoy time with the family, relax with someone special and, being waterfront with its large school, is perfect for those wishing to venture out at one of the best kitesurfing hotspots in the world.
In other news…
Kitesurfing confirmed for Paris Olympics 2024
The speculation over kiting’s Olympic future is now over after World Sailing’s announcement this week. From 2024, kiting in the form of kite foil racing will be a permanent Olympic discipline after it debuts at the Olympic Games in Paris.
It is understood that a ‘box rule’ will be put in place to determine what equipment competitors can use and racers will be allowed to register one hydrofoil and up to four ram-air foil kites for use at the games.
Both men and women will be able to use kites from 7 to 21 metres and will race in anything from five to 40 knots, which has been deemed the suitable wind range for competition. These parameters have been set based off the bodyweight of the current ten top-ranked men and women in the Formula Kite World Series with male competitors ranging between 65 and 85 kg and women anywhere between 50 and 70kg.
The equipment that racers can register will be decided upon by World Sailing every three years rather than all competitors being bound to a ‘one design’ system in which they would have to race on identical equipment made by one manufacturer.
Instead, providing they stick within the guidelines, riders will be able to fine-tune their quiver to suit their riding style, bodyweight and personal preferences just as they’re allowed to in other Olympic sports like snowboarding and skiing.
This means that every three years any gear manufacturer will have the opportunity to register their equipment to be used at the Olympics and riders won’t be able to engage in an arms race by using the latest, fastest equipment to get the competitive edge over their fellow competitors. The rules state that single every piece of equipment that sees action at Games will have to be available on general sale to the public to ensure a truly level playing field. Winning at the Olympics will be about being the fastest racer, not the best-equipped racer!
It’s not yet evident what the racing format will be, but a Short Track Relay on a short windward / leeward course, with team members (male and female) covering alternating laps with a changeover zone has been suggested among some other options. Competition may also consist of an opening series of heats and a knockout stage or other forms of final in which the winner of that last race wins the event.
It’s expected that races will last in the region of 10 minutes for 3-4 laps of the course and this would be the first time a relay format of this type has appeared in any Olympic sailing discipline. It would no doubt be an engaging one to watch, and the hope of World Sailing and the International Olympic Committee is that the massive wind range that foil racers can compete in will guarantee some spectacular racing for television audiences around the world!
Find out which sailing disciplines are kiting will share the Olympic stage with on the World Sailing website, right here.
