Ruling body rejects windsurfing's attempt to return to Olympics
Ruling body rejects discipline's latest effort to return to the Games and its last hope is for a new leader to be elected to reopen the case
Windsurfing is clinging to a final, slim chance of returning to the Olympic Games despite a fresh setback appearing to drive a nail in its coffin.
At the International Sailing Federation's annual conference in Dublin, Ireland, windsurfing fell three votes short of the 75 per cent majority it needed to reopen the debate on the initial decision to replace the discipline with kiteboarding from 2016.
Now Hong Kong's windsurfers are clutching at one last straw: that Australian David Kellett is elected president of the organisation today. One of three candidates, he has apparently pledged to reopen the case if elected.
Windsurfing and kiteboarding had agreed to a compromise plan that would have seen both disciplines compete in Rio, but needed a 75 per cent majority of council members to agree to the motion to reopen the debate on the controversial decision taken in May. Twenty-six members were in favour, with 12 against.
As a result, kiteboarding seems certain to be in the Olympics for the first time with men's and women's individual races in Brazil.
"The events and equipment as approved in May 2012 remain for Rio 2016," the ISAF said in a statement. But Hong Kong's windsurfing chiefs still believe there is hope. Hong Kong's only Olympic gold medal was won in windsurfing, by Lee Lai Shan in 1996.
"We are clearly disappointed by the result," said Dennis Chau Wai-keung, executive director of the Hong Kong Windsurfing Association. "We were expecting a more positive outcome after the compromise was reached between the two classes, but in the end we just needed three more votes to achieve the 75 per cent majority.