Olympic Licensing Policy
The purpose of the evaluation period in Class Rules B.1.3 and B.1.4 is to ensure that all builders that have registered equipment for use in the Formula Kite class comply with the requirements of CR B.1.1.b), especially with regard to production tolerances, quality management and world wide availability.
Keeping the equipment affordable is one of the key aims of the class to ensure universality and growth, especially in emerging and developing regions.
Compliance with Fair Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms is ensured by accepting all professionally qualified builders (see application process) that comply with the requirements for building Olympic equipment. This also ensures that the class has a wide range of builders in all parts of the world, further reducing costs while ensuring high manufacturing standards through competition between builders.
Criteria leading to the decision not to recommend a builder to World Sailing for licensing include:
- Equipment is not available to purchase world wide within the timeframes guaranteed by the builder.
- Non-compliance with building specifications recorded by class measurers during major Formula Kite events.
- Proven history of breakages / equipment replacement above acceptable standards recorded by class measurers during major Formula Kite events.
- Retail price in excess of the average retail prize +50% of all equipment of the same type registered during the applicable application period.
Final licensing to build equipment for the Olympic Games is subject to a commercial undertakings agreement with World Sailing, available on request from the World Sailing office.
Licensed builders agree to an annual factory inspection by a class measurer, to consign a sample piece of equipment against which reference data can be taken at a later point in time, and additional requirements (including signing the commercial undertakings agreement, defining the licensing and quality management payments) as outlined by World Sailing.
