**1. History and Evolution of Windsurfing:**
– Invented by Jim Drake in California between 1967-1970.
– Emerged from Californian aerospace and surf culture in the late 1960s.
– Marketed under the brand name Windsurfer for over 20 years.
– Evolution from long boards to planing short boards in the 1980s.
– Newman Darby, Peter Chilvers, Jim Drake, and Fred Payne are key figures in the invention and development of windsurfing.
– Windsurfing saw a revival through the introduction of newer variants like windfoiling, kiteboarding, and wingfoiling.
**2. Global Popularity and Olympic Recognition:**
– Windsurfing gained popularity in Europe and North America by the late 1970s and significant global popularity by the 1980s.
– Became an Olympic sport in 1984.
– Windsurfing is a recreational, family-friendly sport.
– Most popular at flat water locations offering safety for participants.
– The IQfoil class is the new Olympic windsurfing racing class for France in 2024.
**3. Revival and Future of Windsurfing:**
– Windsurfing schools transitioned to teaching kiteboarding and wing foiling.
– Evolution in technique and equipment.
– Windsurfing shattered the world speed sailing record.
– Sport saw a revival through the explosion of foiling.
– Windsurfing retail momentum slowed with the arrival of newer action sports.
**4. Legal Disputes and Patent Challenges:**
– Legal battles over patents and prior inventions caused significant legal challenges.
– Courts recognized prior inventions by Peter Chilvers and Newman Darby.
– Windsurfing International faced legal challenges from Tabur Marine and Mistral.
– Courts acknowledged the influence of prior art on the development of windsurfing.
– Schweitzer’s patent expired in 1987, leading to the closure of Windsurfing International.
**5. Impact on Industry and Key Players:**
– Bic Sport, Mistral, Tabur, and F2 are key players in the windsurfing industry.
– Industry growth in Europe led to the emergence of key players.
– Legal battles and patent challenges reshaped the windsurfing industry landscape.
– The closure of Windsurfing International impacted the windsurfing industry.
– Industry shifts occurred due to legal victories and challenges in the windsurfing sector.
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gained a popular following across Europe and North America by the late 1970s and had achieved significant global popularity by the 1980s. Windsurfing became an Olympic sport in 1984.
Newer variants include windfoiling, kiteboarding and wingfoiling. Hydrofoil fins under the board allow the boards to safely lift out of the water and fly silently and smoothly above the surface even in lighter winds.
Windsurfing is a recreational, family friendly sport, most popular at flat water locations around the world that offer safety and accessibility for beginner and intermediate participants. Technique and equipment have evolved over the years.
Major competitive disciplines include slalom, wave and freestyle. Increasingly, "foiling" is replacing traditional events and the IQfoil class is the new Olympic windsurfing racing class for France in 2024.