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Winners have been crowned at the O'Neill Kiteboard World Cup 2012, with winds blowing at 15-17 knots from the NNE direction, in the final day of competition. There were Freestyle and Race titles to deliver at The Hague, Holland.

Kevin Langeree and Ewan Jaspan took center stage in front of the judges, throwing down the best maneuvers and most impressive tricks they could showcase.

Liam Whaley showed an impressive Front Mobe, Carlos Madson finished a nice S-7, while Sholte, a hometown favorite, put up just as much of a fight with a quality Blind Judge, among other well placed moves. Manuela Jungo shined as well during her heat against Judith Roetman, throwing down a notable S-Bend and Blind Judge 5.

When kiteboarding was born a couple of decades ago, you'd think it was inspired by windsurfing, sailing, wakeboarding and surfing. The sport has evolved since the Legaignoux brothers registered the patent in 1985.

Kiteboarding has been trying all possible categories and classes. Freestyle, course racing, slalom, waves, speed and other variations, for example, with kickers in flat water lakes.

Dave Scott is one of the most prolific skimboarders in the world. The Floridian rider from Vilano Beach enjoys experimentation, when he is not pulling impossible barrels.

Bruno Sroka will try to kitesurf across English Channel and beat the world record of 5 hours and 20 minutes. The French kiteboarder wants to celebrate the inclusion of the sport in the 2016 Olympic Games with a serious challenge.

Sroka will have to sail the 100 nautical miles of the English Channel with favorable wind and swell conditions, as well as cargo ships.The world course race champion has already marked a special record. Bruno Sroka is the first and the only kitesurfer to cross the Cape Horn.

"The weather has been playing cat and mouse with me and the French coast guards were cruel in giving the authorization to cross the channel", explains the kiteboarder. "But its all done. Got my approvals and after checking the weather again, I decided that now is the perfect timing".

The first KTA Race Centres will be opened in three Asian countries. Philippines, Thailand and China will get brand new structures and racing trainers for everyone willing to improve skills, knowledge and experience in kiteboarding and kite racing.

Boracay, Pranburi and Hainan are the selected locations. The network of racing centres are a great option for those who want to learn to ride a race board, for example, during kite holidays.

Each KTA Race Centre will be led by a race trainer who will be able to cover all aspects of race board use, from the basics of set-up and riding through to tacking, gybing and effective downwind riding.

The development of race boards in kiteboarding over the past two or three years have added a whole new challenge and dynamic to the sport.

Ruben Lenten is the next stuntman in professional kiteboarding. Following the spectacular kite jumps performed by British rider Lewis Crathern over the Brighton and Worthing piers, the rider also known as "Ruben Len10" does the impossible.

In fact, during the Red Bull Ragnarok 2012, professional kiter from the Netherland completed a breathtaking jump off a hundred meter high cliff, on the Haugastøl plateau, in Norway.

There is not much wind for snowkiting, but for flying is enough because as soon as you go down the hill you have speed and pressure for your kite to be able to fly", explains Lenten before the challenge.

"I am a little bit nervous because I don't know how will be the conditions at the top. I think we're going to have some fun today", he revealed before climbing the hill.

The New York State Parks have forbidden all kiteboarders from training their sport in the entire recreational system. Although the network of beaches under the New York State Parks management is of public acccess, the fact is kiteboarding has been banned.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is currently taking control of 168 state parks and 78 developed beaches. There are 14 miles of public beaches in the region.

How many national sailing federations are ready to prepare kiteboarding teams, gear and equipment for the 2016 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro?

Is there a global network of continental, national and regional kiteboarding competitions ready to define who will be competing for gold, silver and bronze medals in the 2016 Olympic Games?

Why was Course Race kiteboarding chosen to showcase in the 2016 Olympic Games, instead of Freestyle, when these kiteboard races will simply be just another speed sailing contest out in the regatta field?

How to ensure there will be enough wind to launch kites during the tight Olympic schedules? Has ISAF thought of an ideal venue in the Rio de Janeiro region?

Mario Rodwald and Chiara Espostio have conquered the first tour stop of the Mini KTE 2012, the European kiteboarding season, held in Podersdorf, Austria.

The contest was held under sunny temperatures, tropical feeling and windy conditions. There were 95 riders from 22 nations competing in Podersdorf. Part of the 119.000 Surfworld Cup visitors and exhibitors supported the professional kitesurfers with action and lust for life.

Freestyle competitions turned out to be exciting and showcased a big fight between nations. In the single and double eliminations, the two local friends Schitzhofer and Spiessberger were riding against each other, but Austrian power was not strong enough to beat the German star Mario Rodwald.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed that kiteboarding will replace windsurfing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Council voted 19 to 17 to have kiteboarding in the capital of Brazil.

The ISAF Council decided that kiteboarding should debut in the Olympic Games, in the Men's and Women's board events. In November 2011, an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as "windsurfing and/or kiteboarding".

"The decision today will change the lives of thousands of kiteboarders that now can live their Olympic dream. The National Sailing Associations will now include kiteboarding into their programs and coach and support the riders to go to the Olympic Qualification events. We never thought we would get this far in such a short time", said Markus Schwendtner, IKA Executive Secretary Markus Schwendtner.

A group of eight athletes are preparing to be the first people on the planet to ever snow kite mountaineer to the top of a 13.000-foot plus peak. Project Ataraxia 2012 involves a two and a half month trip and expedition across Alaska.

The crew will be snow kiting, speed flying, paragliding, ski touring and glacial traversing. The entire challenge will be documented through film and photography. The extreme journey has two huge challenges: the completion of the Eklutna Traverse and the ascent of Mount Marcus Baker.

Both are extreme undertakings, with the traverse representing the horizontal realm, and Mount Marcus Baker the vertical extreme. Historically these expeditions have been undertaken with large carbon footprints and have been accomplished through slow and arduous climbing techniques.