PeterP said...I'm glad RSX is back in - now its time for windsurfers to support the class and show that it's worthy of being in the olympics - there was so much windsurf whining when it was kicked out, now its back in, so now its time to show the support and true colours - go get your RSX's...[}:)]
There were 220 registered kiters at the last Worlds in and 114 RSX's so pretty much outnumbered 2 to 1.....despite above claims of 10-1 in the opposite direction...
Between the lines it seems to me that windsurfers weren't particularly sad to lose the RSX olympics - but they were particularly sad to lose to kites....
Whats up with this inter-sport rivalry? It would be nice if they could both be in, but windsurfing should have a box rule, like the kites, and the brands and stars of the sport might take an interest as well...
Disclaimer - old windsurfer (loved it) turned kiter who is now SUP'ing.....
There were 42 women and 153 guys who raced at the Kite Racing worlds
108 men and 12 women at the Formula worlds, plus 60+ at the Formula Masters and Youth Worlds;
46 at the Formula Experience worlds;
59 at the Kona Worlds
70 at the Raceboard Worlds 2011 and I think similar numbers at the Raceboard Masters and Youth Worlds.
So ignoring the RSX and Techno (which both do well out of being Olympic) the windsurfers are still more popular, but not 10 to 1.
And if we want to look at other sailing world titles, ALL the boards look sick;
Finn Masters - 283 competitors 2011, and then there's the "real" worlds as well.
Laser worlds - about 1500 competitors across various divisions, and normally only open to those who have qualified at home through their local championships.
143 at the OK dinghy worlds.
260 sailors at the GP14 worlds
180 sailors (60 boats) at the Dragon worlds.
ORCi worlds - about 1100 sailors on 124 boats.
Add in the dozens of other boat classes with huge fleets and it seems that no board class has much to talk about, numbers wise. We're bloody lucky to be in the Games at all from some angles.
PS - about "windsurfing should have a box rule, like the kites, and the brands and stars of the sport might take an interest as well..."
The "stars of the sport" in many ways are those in RSXers - some were selected to carry the Olympic flame and national flags at the last Games. Some are significant sports stars in their home countries, like Israel or Hong Kong.
Oh, and box rules can give an enormous advantage to rich countries. The track bicycles (not the road bikes, which are more expensive) that the Brits used at the last Games cost about $23,000 each, IGNORING the development costs which were elsewhere in the 13 million pound per annum (IIRC) budget.
In 2000, the British Olympic team bought a ONE TONNE block of alloy and milled it down to make the mould for a mast for an 11' Europe dinghy. The exercise cost over $20,000 for ONE mast for a boat smaller and slower than a Laser.
That's the sort of thing that can happen in box rules in Olympic classes, where countries budget to spend millions per medal. Oh, and none of those bikes or masts are being passed to the general public.
Is that sort of budget really going to make Olympic boarding popular?
How Embarrassment!!! Caught out for the shallow self-interested fools we are
