Trialing new Kiteboard event format

The Sailing Program at the 2008 Olympics introduced the Medal Race, altering the event format to conclude with a double-point, non-discardable race to heighten excitement. This remained in use at the Paris 2024 Olympics for six events, but the Kiteboard and Windsurf events utilized a ‘Medal Series’ to conclude their events.

While not the same, both systems sought to increase interest, but minimized achievement throughout the competition. In short, win the last race and you win the gold, and none of the low-point leaders during the longer Opening Series were the eventual winner.

Both systems need work, with the International Kiteboard Association trialing a new Medal Series format at the 2024 KiteFoil World Series Austria on September 4-8. Here’s the IKA explanation:

• All sailors compete in a single fleet for the first three days of the event followed by the Medal Series.
• On the final day, the top nine sailors qualify to the Medal Series. The 10th sailor of the Medal Series comes from a fleet race where all (except the first nine) are sailing. Regardless of previous results, the first place man and woman earn a ‘golden ticket’ and qualify to the repechage phase of the Medal Series.
• The Medal Series comprises of a repechage, a quarter final, a semifinal, and the final.
• Repechage: Sailors ranked 7th, 8th, 9th, and the golden ticket winner, sail a short race, with the first two across the finish progressing to the next round (Quarter Final).
• Quarter Final: The top two from the repechage sail with sailors ranked 5th and 6th, with the first two across the finish progressing to the next round (Semi Final).
• Semi Final: The top two from quarter final sail with sailors ranked 3rd and 4th, with the first two across the finish progressing to the next round (Final).
• Final: The top two from the semifinal sail with sailors ranked 1st and 2nd. First to three wins, wins the event. Sailor ranked 1st starts with two wins, while the 2nd starts with one win. The two coming from the semifinal start without wins.

With this new format, the Final format stays the same as in the past season, but the single-race format for the knockout rounds will make it easier to create a predictable schedule of competition for TV and media, while still rewarding the best-performing riders with a progression through different stages of the competition.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9

Details: https://paris2024.sailing.org/