Broadneck Olympian Blogs on Recent Changes to Her Sport

Farrah Hall, an Olympic windsurfer from Cape St. Claire, has written a blog on a recent revival in her sport, which was on the cusp of being removed from the Olympics.

"I feel we are entering a better and exciting time for the sport of Olympic sailing," Hall said in a recent posting on her blog.

When Patch last spoke with Hall, windsurfing as a sport in the Olympics was set to be replaced by kiteboarding. It seemed like a done deal at the end of the 2012 summer games in London.

Hall said she would be training for both windsurfing and kiteboarding. But a recent vote by the International Sailing Federation secured windsurfing for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. Kiteboarding will become an official Olympic sport in the 2020 games.

Hall said earlier that she didn't think kiteboarding was ready for its time in the spotlight, and that windsurfing athletes likewise weren't prepared to give up their sport of choice. Having both sports available by 2020 is a happy compromise, Hall said.

"I'm looking forward to a continued push for improvement and cooperation in both sports, and a big welcome for kiteboarding alongside windsurfing in the 2020 Olympic Games," Hall said.

Read Hall's full blog at her personal website, Off The Wind.