| Kiteboarding "belongs at the X Games", says Barbara Kendall |
| Monday, 07 May 2012 14:56 |
|
Barbara Kendall, a New Zealand Olympic windsurfing champion, believes that kiteboarding "belongs at the X Games", after the sport replaced windsurfing in the 2016 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro.
"It is exciting for kiteboarding but tragic for boardsailing. Kiteboarding really is a sport that should be at the X Games. It's more of an extreme sort of recreational sport and the judging is just so subjective because it involves tricks and other stunts that are a feature of the X Games", explains Barbara Kendall. "The IOC has said it wants to move away from that sort of sport and judging and boardsailing also ticks all the gender and demographic boxes. So I was very surprised by the news and I guess they have bowed to pressure to modernise. While that is good I do not think kiteboarding is the answer", add the winner gold, silver and bronze medals in three Olympic Games. Meanwhile, kiteboarders defend their victory and a very hot debate is underway. "When it became clear that there will be not more than two medals we tried to work out something together with the RS:X class to share the medals, to ensure the Windsurfing stays in the Olympic Games, but Kiteboarding can be added", says Markus Schwendtner, Executive Secretary of the International Kiteboarding Association. "Unfortunately - this request has been refused by the RS:X class and thus ISAF had to make a decision, and if you take the risk then you must be aware that there is a chance to lose", he adds. "However, I have windsurfed almost all my life, and I truly believe that both kiteboarding and windsurfing should be in the Olympic Games, and we will support windsurfing to come back in for 2020 as far as we can". |












