Kiteboard foiling at the Medemblik Regatta
by Medemblik Regatta 19 May 2019 07:35 PDT
25 May 2019
Kiteboard foiling at the Kitefoil Cup Holland 2018 © Gerard de Kok
Saturday, May 25th the Medemblik Regatta will welcome a group of Kitefoil surfers. Kitesurfing is an Olympic sport and will be on the program of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
In the Netherlands, the preparations for 2024 are in full swing. A reason for the Dutch Watersport Federation to implement this sport at the Medemblik Regatta.
During the summer season, a series of races are organized on different spots in the Netherlands: The Kitefoil Cup Holland. Medemblik is not a part of this series, but the setup and the race committee is the same. Sander de Kok, one of the driving forces behind the Kitefoil Cup Holland, is looking forward to competing in Medemblik: "It's great to be able to race in Medemblik at the Regatta. With the Kitefoil Cup Holland, we already work closely together with the Dutch Watersport Federation. Every weekend we cooperate in organizing training evens for the youth. To be added to the Medemblik Regatta as well is good for our sport in the Netherlands."
A wide group of Kitefoil racers has emerged in the Netherlands, partly thanks to the youth training and the Kitefoil Cup Holland. Ages between 12 and 50 are racing at the Kitefoil Cup series, and there's always a large group of freeride racers participating. The last group normally doesn't do races, but they really enjoy racing at the Kitefoil Cup.
Sander doesn't want to do any predictions about the racing in Medemblik next week: "Kitesurfing is very unpredictable. you have to have at least six knots of wind to be able to race. A lot of kitesurfers decide last minute if they think the circumstances are good for them to come and join the race."
Kiteboard foiling takes place on Saturday, May 25th in Medemblik, the Netherlands. Registration is open at: medemblikregatta.org/registration