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Kitefoiling in Singapore set to rise after Olympic medal win amid surge in interest

The sport was featured at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and in 2021 it was announced that kitesurfing would make its Olympic debut at Paris 2024 with the Formula Kite class using hydrofoils.

Since Maximilian won Singapore’s only medal at the Olympics, interest in the sport has increased dramatically in the city-state.

Ong Rong Quan, president of the Kitesurfing Association of Singapore, told This Week in Asia that one kitefoil clinic scheduled for this weekend had 150 registrations, compared to fewer than 20 registrations for clinics held before the Olympics.

Edmund Tang, the association’s founder, said: “In previous roadshows, there were parents who were interested in doing an introduction, but the number of returnees declined due to variable wind conditions and accessibility.”

Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder wins the bronze medal in kitefoiling at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: Reuters

According to Tang and Ong, the Kitesurfing Association of Singapore and the Singapore Sailing Federation are exploring how to set up a beginner’s program in Singapore.

“In Singapore, we call ourselves storm chasers. When there is wind, chiong” Tang said, using the local expression for rushing.

According to Ong, foiling would even be possible in light winds of seven to eight knots, as some Olympic races have been held in wind speeds of less than ten knots.

“If you are skilled enough, anything from seven knots is enough. More wind makes it easier to pick it up, but it is not impossible to learn in Singapore. We just have to make do with the conditions we have.”

Another challenge for kitesurfers in Singapore is lack of space, which is why the association is working with authorities to allow the activity in more places, Ong said.

In Singapore, Changi Beach is popular for its winds from December to March. Kitesurfers must become members of the association to kitesurf there according to the rules set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, as the beach is 5 km from Changi Airport. Kitesurfers can also be found at East Coast Park and Tanah Merah Beach.

Singaporean Maximilian Maeder celebrates winning the bronze medal in kitefoiling at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Experts warn against buying or renting equipment and learning to kitefoil without the guidance of an instructor.

“It’s an extreme sport and safety is paramount. There have been fatalities when someone loses control… It can be dangerous if you lose control of the kite and it can throw you around,” said former kitefoiling instructor Vincent Lam.

Lam said he received more than 10 inquiries about kitefoiling lessons over the weekend, but he encouraged people to consider wingfoiling instead, which was easier to pick up. Wingfoiling, another wind-propelled water sport that evolved from kitesurfing, involves the sailor standing on a board and holding a wing.

Kitefoiling equipment for beginners, consisting of a kite, board and the foil, can cost up to around S$4,000 (US$3,020), while competition equipment costs around S$8,000.

The kitesurfing community in Singapore was made up mostly of enthusiasts over the age of 30, Tang said. Some 18-year-old competitors had joined Maximilian in competitions, but many of them dropped out when they started working.

The association currently has about 180 members and a handful of instructors, Tang said.

A wingfoiling competitor in Tai Mei Tuk, Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

For more wind in shallow water, beginners usually head to nearby Bintan in Indonesia. From Singapore it is about an hour and 45 minutes by ferry.

The Straits Times reported earlier this month that Maximilian, aged 11, travelled independently to different parts of the world for training and competitions.

His father, Valentin, is Swiss, while his mother, Teng Hwee Keng, is from Singapore. Maximilian spent most of his childhood in Switzerland, Singapore and the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where his parents built the Wakatobi Dive Resort.

“For Max, because he is homeschooled, there is more time to train and travel so he can improve. He also always had an interest in the sport, so the interest didn’t just have to come from his parents, which we sometimes see,” Tang said.

According to Tang, parents who want their children to participate in the Olympics must change their mindset and no longer adhere to the conventional system.

Kitefoiling gold medalist Valentin Bontus of Austria poses with silver medalist Toni Vodisek of Slovenia and bronze medalist Maximilian Maeder of Singapore at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Reuters

“It requires a different kind of training, a lot of traveling, so you have to skip the normal schooling. The child must have the discipline to study and must have the interest to participate in competitions,” Tang said.

While kitesurfers from Singapore can become competitive, they should train and compete against the best competitors in Europe to improve themselves, Ong said.

With Maximilian’s Olympic success, the kitefoiling community wanted to capitalize on the growing public interest in the sport, he added.

“We want to increase the number of participants and from there try to incorporate the lessons we have learned from our experience with Max into a training program, so that more people can develop themselves.”

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