The world's best professional freestyle kiteboarders are about to kick off a new season.
The first event of the year marks the end of an era. The World Kiteboarding League (WKL) is no longer the official tour of freestyle. It has been replaced by a brand created by the Kiteboard Riders Association (KRU).
KRU wants riders to run the show. They do not want companies taking over the competitive format, the prize money politics, and the selection of the venues.
The new organization - World Kiteboarding Championships (WKC) - has been sanctioned by World Sailing and it is run by the Global Kitesports Association (GKA), who's also responsible for the wave kitesurfing and air games disciplines.
Although you can't really call a three-stage circuit a world tour, the WKC says it is just warming up. To get things started, the 2018 WKC is visiting Akyaka (Turkey), Dakhla (Morocco), and Cumbuco (Brazil).
According to the WKC, there will be qualifying and elite events, but the full list of details has not yet been revealed. One thing is certain: each event will live streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
2018 World Kiteboarding Championships | Schedule
WKC Akyaka | September 5-9
WKC Dakhla | November 3-10
WKC Cumbuco | November 19-25