Kiteboarding set for King’s Cup

Mark Pawlak    sailingbreaks     King's Cup, kiteboarding, Sailing, Sailing Holidays, sailing regatta, thailand

People who love sailing in Thailand will be able to add kiteboarding to their list of activities to check out at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

The Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA) has announced that it will be holding an invitation-only event at this year’s King’s Cup, which is celebrating a quarter century of competitions in 2011.

Kiteboarding, coming to Phuket's top sailing event. Image: Flickr/tibchris

The inclusion of the developing sport shows that the King’s Cup is at the forefront of new forms of sailing, with some 20 kiteboarders expected to compete at December’s event.

People visiting the King’s Cup who’ve not watched kiteboarding before will also be able to witness the best the sport has to offer – with pro riders from the World Tour likely to be among the competitors.

At the helm of the demonstration will be all-round kiteboarding legend Narapichit “Yo” Pudla. The Thai kiteboarder and two-time Asia champion will be joined by two-time Japanese freestyle champion Aya Oshima and Philippines champion Ken Nacor, suggesting that fans of sailing events attending Phuket will be enjoying the cream of the kiteboarding crop.

The sport is already well-established in Thailand, but its inclusion at the King’s Cup will throw it open to whole new audience who are more familiar with general yacht racing. The international tour has been held in Hua Hin for the past two years, while professional kiteboarders are also used to the exquisite Thai waters thanks to the country’s status as a Kiteboard Tour Asia stop.

Willy Kerr, KTA tour director, said: “This year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will feature a thrilling KTA race event which will be a unique addition to the Phuket King’s Cup. There is a growing interest in the sport across much of South East Asia, and we’re very excited to be able to bring this spectacle to people who may not be familiar with the stylish, cool fun of the professional kiteboarding scene.”

Kevin Whitcraft, president of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee, said: “We’re delighted to welcome an exhibition event by Kiteboard Tour Asia at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup. This is a bold step for us in terms of broadening the regatta, and we hope this new element will have very strong appeal to kiteboarding enthusiasts and a younger sailing audience. Kiteboarding continues to grow in popularity in Asia, and Thailand in particular offers an accessible and exciting opportunity for anyone who wishes to see pro kiteboarding events.”

Established in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of the King of Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup will celebrate 25 years when it gets under way on December 3 at Kata Beach.

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 192 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"

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