Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League World Championships

Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League World Championships

The moment many people have been waiting for is finally there. One of the greatest events of kite sports. While there are many great kiteboarding locations around the globe, perhaps one of the most historical and elusive is that of Hood River, Oregon, the birthplace of park riding and the pinnacle force that sustains its continuation.

The Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour and the Kite Park League (KPL) have joined forces to host the inaugural GKA Kite Park League World Championships at Hood River, Oregon, USA. This eight-day event in early August crowns the best male and female kiteboarders in the discipline, which emphasizes style, with grabs and presses rewarded during rotations off sliders and kickers.

The KPL, founded in 2016 by grassroots kiteboarders, has been influential in establishing Kite Park as a discipline, drawing inspiration from wakeboarding, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Hood River, the birthplace of the world’s first public Kite Park created by “The Slider Project” in 2008, serves as the perfect venue for this historic event.

Top competitors include Ramiro Gallart (ARG), Jack Rieder (USA), Xander Raith (USA), Australia’s Katie Potter, and Spain’s Noè Font. Prominent names in Kite Park, such as Ewan Jaspan (AUS) and Eric Rienstra (USA), are also set to compete.