The RS:X Class issues a claim for Judicial Review against ISAF

Transcription

1 Press Release August 2 nd 2012 The RS:X Class issues a claim for Judicial Review against ISAF Since the ISAF Mid Year Meeting and the narrow vote to deselect windsurfing and the RS:X for the 2016 Olympic Regatta in Rio de Janeiro, the class has been working on many levels to get this decision reversed under the direction of its crisis management group within the Executive Committee The opinion of our legal team is that the decision was perverse and unfair and so accordingly we have issued a claim for Judicial Review [dated August 1st 2012] in the High Court in London which had to be lodged within 3 months of the date of the decision on May 5th 28,385 people from around the world have signed the on-line petition against the ISAF decision. 18,812 have joined the 'Appeal against kitesurfing in the Olympics' Facebook Group. 13,209 are following the 'Vote Windsurfing' Facebook page. The tone of the discussions in these forums has been one of disbelief that two colorful, dynamic, media friendly global events could be so easily discarded. Disbelief that such a strong pipeline of Youth and Junior windsurfing classes could be discarded in favour of a discipline with no such pipeline Disbelief that a class, the RS:X, which is second only to the single handed men's and women's Laser Class in terms of size, diversity and global reach could be discarded Disbelief that a class that has such a high level of women's participation in terms of numbers and quality of competition could be so lightly ignored in favour of an event where only 12 women from 10 countries took part in the last kite course racing world championships The RS:X equipment by Neil Pryde Windsurfing was selected in 2004 by ISAF after an open evaluation and was the supplied equipment for the men and women 'boards' events in the 2008 Olympic Games and is now being raced in the ongoing 2012 Olympic Regatta. For more information see the attached briefing document ipad Lobby document here: MS Word Lobby document here: Vote Windsurfing Facebook Page Petition: Keep Windsurfing as Olympic Discipline RS:X Website

2 BRIEFING DOCUMENT INTRODUCTION: In the ISAF President s Report to the 2011 ISAF Council Mid Year Meeting, he stated that a considerable number of proposed slates had been submitted which show the concern of the MNAs and Classes about their decision. When voting Council members are duty bound to take their MNA and MNA Group considerations into account but they were also reminded of the conclusion of the Olympic Commission Report which were adopted by Council and which clearly state the mission which included limiting the cost and environmental impact in achieving the goals. The following 16 points clearly show why the RS:X for both men and women should be selected for Rio ATTRACTS EMERGING NATIONS ISAF Reg #23.1.2[e]: 54 countries took part in the 2012 Olympic Qualification series. Countries like Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Guatemala, Iran, Jamaica, Oman, Peru and the Philippines now have windsurfing development programs ISAF Sailing World Championships, 45 Member National Sailing Authorities entered the RS:X men's fleet and only 42 entered the Laser Standard. 1.8m windsurfers in Germany, 1.128m in the USA, 5m worldwide

3 2. WOMEN S PARTICIPATION ISAF Reg #23.1.2[g]: The RS:X women's fleet is strong with participants coming from 5 continents and 40 countries. 80 women took part in the 2012 RS:X World Championships from 37 nations kite Course Racing World Champs 2009 (San Fran) - Men 57 [10 MNAs] - 7 woman [4 MNAs] 2010 (Texas) - 32 men [10 MNAs] - 8 women [7 MNAs] 2011 (Sylt) - 64 [21 MNAs] - 12 women [10 MNAs] 2012 RS:X World Championships limited by Quota 120 men (49 MNAs) and 80 women (37 MNAs) Total MNAs 51 for the men Total MNAs 39 for the women And the combined number is 54 countries from

4 In France kite-boarding is part of the Federation Francais de Vol and not part of the Federation Francais de Voile. In Great Britain, the UK Kite-boarding Association is not officially part of the Royal Yachting Association. These are just 2 examples. 3. SAFETY: From beginner to elite athlete windsurfing is a safe sport to practice. Hulls float so it is possible to self-rescue in onshore winds. Windsurfing does not pose a threat to other beach or water users or spectators. 125 people have been killed kiting in 10 years. On June 10 th 2012 another person was killed in Belgium and a second was found badly injured in the shallows in Norfolk, UK Kitesurfer-maakt-dodelijke-val.dhtml National, regional, local and city governments have seen fit to impose special restrictions on when and where kite surfing can be enjoyed Windsurfing poses no threat to other beach or water users 4. CONSISTENT PATHWAY WITH YOUTH APPEAL ISAF Reg #23.1.2[d]: youth and junior competitors only have to change equipment once from starting to race on the Bic Techno 293 to competing in the Olympic fleet on the RS:X (Weymouth) - Boys 188 & 73 girls [28 countries 4 Continents] 2010 (Martigues) - Boys 265 & 99 girls [25 countries 4 Continents] 2011 (San Francisco) - Boys 99 & 47 girls [28 countries 5 Continents] RS:X Continental championships in Asia, Europe, North and South America include youth divisions ISAF have selected the Techno 293 for the Youth Olympic Games The RS:X for the ISAF Youth World Championships. Windsurfing events are part of Regional Games round the world Kite has NO junior/youth pathway and is not part of MNA structure

5 5. ECONOMICAL ISAF Reg #23.1.2[h]: The RS:X offers the least expensive route into the Olympic Regatta for small and emerging sailing nations both in terms equipment and campaign costs. DINGHY WIND KITE Pathway Optimist 3035 Techno Olympic Laser 5165 RS:X 4618 Box Rule 8000 Kite: 1 hull 1600, I set fins 1000, 3 kites 1800 each inc rigging The ISAF Olympic Commission Supplemental Report dated September 2010 included reference to a number of initiatives to reduce costs and to provide support for emerging nations. The report provided that appropriate controls must be in place to limit cost increases and that wiping the slate clean every four years should be replaced by what the Commission considered to be a more systematic approach which required any changes to the Event and Equipment to be properly argued and justified. Kite boarding is a very different form of sailing to windsurfing and the selection of kite board was not properly argued and justified, particularly in the absence of an evaluation of both windsurfing and kite including a detailed analysis of the costs, including the development costs both nationally in terms of infrastructure and in terms of kite course racing equipment which is not fully refined; Cost is not just the cost of buying new equipment but the cost of current investment already made in equipment and the cost of campaigning.

6 If a wealthy MNA wished to exploit the kite box rule to its own advantage, the production costs of starting its own program would not exceed 60,000. In the light of the RYA spending 260,000 on a single Europe mast to win a gold medal, this is a practical possibility. The IOC and ISAF have repeatedly expressed concern to reduce cost. Because kite course racing equipment has to comply to a box rule there is significant room for development work to be undertaken thereby very much favouring the wealthy nations to the disadvantage of emerging countries. This is likely to lead to an Arms Race 6. SPORTS PRESENTATION ISAF Reg #23.1.2[f]: The RS:X class is the most colorful in Olympic sailing both upwind and down. RS:X Men's sails have a gold colored luff tube and gold vinyl RS:X Women s sail have red and red RS:X Olympic fleet has custom coloring developed for LOCOG The first to introduce national flags on sails. 7. EMPHASIS ON ATHLETIC SKILL ISAF Reg #23.1.2[b]: Windsurfing is the most dynamic of all Olympic sailing disciplines with athletes being some of the fittest at the Olympic games. It is both physically and tactically demanding with the emphasis being on the athlete's ability not his ability to buy the latest gear. 8. LEVEL PLAYING FIELD ISAF Reg #23.1.2[b]: The RS:X is tightly controlled one design equipment produced by Neil Pryde Windsurfing that appeals to emerging nations because they have the confidence to invest knowing that the best athlete will win not the one with the most money. ***In the last 7 Olympiads, athletes from 5 continents [Oceania, Asia, Europe, North America and South America have won medals in the Olympic Regatta proving that MNAs from all countries have the opportunity to compete at the highest level. 9. OLYMPIC WINDSURFING HAS A STRONG FOLLOWING IN ASIA and the emerging nations especially in China who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Regattas and Hong Kong who won gold in 1996 in Atlanta. 10. WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION: The RS:X is readily available with worldwide distribution channels and the least expensive of the current Olympic events both to buy and campaign 11. MEDIA FRIENDLY ISAF Reg #23.1.2[f]: The 2012 RS:X World Championships attracted 94,457 unique visitors to its event website. To put this in context. Skandia Sail For Gold, an ISAF Sailing World Cup event achieves a very similar number of visitors with a bigger budget and more diverse group of sailing fans

7 Proprietary mobile friendly digital event management software Event marketing strategy 20,000 + fans on Facebook 22,000 unique visitors on day one of the 2012 RS:X Worlds 12. BROADCAST TV AUDIENCE ISAF Reg #23.1.2[f]: The RS:X has a broadcast TV audience in more than 150 countries, and an internet audience in 169 countries. TV media valuation for the 2012 RS:X World Championships TV coverage alone is 256, SPEED: RS:X Equipment is high-performance over a wide wind range ~ 4 to 30 knots ~ During the 2012 RS:X World Championship men and women in the gold fleets were racing in gusts exceeding 30 knots and during an impromptu speed session, peak speeds of over 30 knots were recorded for the men and 26 knots for the women 14. EASE OF TRAVEL: Equipment can travel with teams on planes making it viable for small teams to compete internationally at low cost. 15. INFRASTRUCTURE: Windsurfing requires minimal event infrastructure. The RS:X can be safely launched off a crowded beach and does not require expensive marina or club facilities further reducing costs for developing nations. Fleets can also be launched into crowded harbors in minimal winds without a problem. Windsurfing is part of the ISAF Connect To Sailing Program The RS:X runs a Buddy Program for emerging nations According to a recent survey of their members commissioned by Yachting Australia, six times more of them windsurfed in the last 12 months than went kite surfing. ***Windsurfing is integrated into MNA learn to sail programs worldwide. The VDWS has 542 international schools and estimates that 47, 872 new participants learned to windsurf in 2011 compare this to kitesurfing, only 14,073 gained a basic licence 16. FORMAT: The RS:X class has already put forward a concept for a 4 day event allowing for a rotation of fleets from the outside course to the inner course including a semi-final and final to attract the maximum amount of media coverage as well as allowing large and small fleet to race for a full 4 days. Windsurf racing can be staged close to the shore using exciting formats and course configurations which are easy to film and fun to watch Book of courses choose the best one for weather and venue 'City Centre Racing' trialled in Singapore and Dunkirk No danger to spectators Minimal infrastructure