What is a Formula Kite in Olympic sailing?

Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut this summer, as the men’s kite and women’s kite events, and could very quickly become one of the star attractions of the whole Games.

As the fastest sport at Paris 2024, kite foiling is as spectacular as it is unpredictable.

Here’s your whistlestop guide to the Formula Kite class.

 

What is Formula Kite?

The equipment is very straightforward. All that you need to compete is a kite, a board and a foil.

Athletes compete on a board which is about a metre long, attached to a foil which they use to stabilise themselves in the water.

They are then attached to a kite, using a harness, while also having a hand bar to control the kite.

In the water, they can reach speeds of 30 knots while travelling downwind, with races taking approximately 12 minutes.

 

How does Formula Kite work?

The competition has a slightly different format to some of the traditional sailing classes.

Initially, riders compete in an Opening Series, with the objective to earn as high a ranking as possible. The top two at the end of the Opening Series qualify automatically for the Grand Final, while those ranked third to tenth go into the semi-finals.

In the semi-final, the eight remaining riders are split into two, with those ranked third, sixth, seventh and tenth in one semi, and those who were fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth in the other. The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the third and fourth seeds starting the semi-finals carrying over two race wins, while the fifth and sixth seeds carry over one.

Therefore, should the third seeds win the first race of the semi-finals, that will be enough to book their place in the Grand Final. One rider qualifies from each semi-final, to make up a final four in the Grand Final.

There is a similar format here, where the top seed starts with two race wins, and the second seed has one.

Once again, the goal is to secure three race wins, with competition ending as soon as someone achieves this. That means that the Grand Final can last from one race to as many as six. As soon as the gold medal has been secured, racing finishes, with the remaining medals decided by number of race wins, and ties split by finishing position in the Opening Series.

 

Who are the previous Olympic medallists?

This will be the first appearance of Formula Kite at the Olympics so there are no previous medallists in the class.

Who are the top athletes in Formula Kite?

On the men’s side, 17-year-old Max Maeder, from Singapore, is establishing himself as the class of the field. A back-to-back world champion, Maeder has taken on the mantle from Toni Vodisek, of Slovenia, while Frenchman Axel Mazella won the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille.

French supporters will be hoping for a gold medal in the Women’s Formula Kite class, where Lauriane Nolot has matched Maeder in winning successive world titles, while she also won the Test Event.

Prior to Nolot’s emergence, American Daniela Moroz was the person to beat, winning six world titles, despite still being only 23.

When is the Formula Kite event at Paris 2024?

Formula Kite is the last class to get underway in Marseille, with competition starting on Sunday 4 August, and coming to a close with the Medal Series on Thursday 8.