Athletes who strap modified surfboards to gigantic kites and harness the wind in order to skim lake and ocean surfaces are known as “kiteboarders.” August 4-8, 2009, is when the first true World Championship for kiteboarders is scheduled to occur at St. Francis Yacht Club of San Francisco in California.
Until now, two kiteboarding organizations from different regions of the globe have claimed to crown the world's best kiteboarder. In pursuit of a truly global champion, the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) petitioned the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) to approve a petition to combine the Kiteboard Pro World Tour (KPWT) and Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA) World Tour. The ISAF approved the petition.
Now unified under sanctioning by the ISAF, kiteboarders will not only be able to compete for the global title, but they will share equal footing with other international sailing events like “The Volvo Ocean Race” and “The America's Cup.”
Markus Schwendtner, executive secretary of the IKA, describes the importance of the ISAF approval. “Giving the world championship rights to the IK...
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