IFKO: the organization says kiting is not sailing | Photo: IFKO

The president of the International Federation of Kitesports Organizations (IFKO) wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with two requests and six questions.

Diogo Fernandes is asking Thomas Bach to overturn IOC's negative influence over the governance of all kite disciplines.

The sport of kiteboarding is currently under the governance of World Sailing, via International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and Global Kitesports Association.

IFKO has been questioning the dominance of World Sailing and IKA over the kite sports for years. The organization with headquarters in Cascais, Portugal, accuses both entities of monopolizing kite sports, putting them under the umbrella of sailing.

"It seems it is common knowledge that World Sailing and the kite companies' millionaire joint owners have important friends in positions of authority inside IOC and ASOIF, with enough power to influence the IOC decisions for their own agenda," Fernandes writes.

"And worst of all, to infringe several EU laws inside the Olympic structure all leading to fulfilling a certain kind of non-sporting interests."

IFKO accuses the IOC of "abuse of dominant position over IFKO and kite sports, ignoring the IOC's own Olympic Charter and the ASOIF/GAISF/AWOIF statutes."

Diogo Fernandes: president of the International Federation of Kitesports Organizations | Photo: IFKO

Two Requests and Six Questions

In the letter addressed to Thomas Bach, Fernandes leaves two requests.

First: to let kite riders and IFKO decide and manage the kite disciplines if IOC really wants to have them in the Olympic Games.

Second: to urgently resend new IOC/ASOIF orders to GAISF to provide a fair opportunity for IFKO to become a full member of GAISF.

Finally, the organization led by Diogo Fernandes asks six questions:

1. If the IOC wants kiteboarding in Paris 2024, will IOC forbid the entrance of IFKO inside the Olympic movement, to benefit the Olympic major sports events (MSEs) and the World Sailing owners?

2. Should the IOC events have such power to shape the natural development of the world of sports?

3. Is IOC deciding the right of self-governance of new sports?

4. Should the nations' sport public administration be so sensitive to the Olympic Games' logistic needs/National Olympic Committees?

5. How much credibility can be placed on the IOC interests inside sport public administration?

6. Is IOC bending the law?

Kiteboarding will make its debut in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

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