Flyboarding is an extreme water sport in which athletes compete using equipment called flyboards. A flyboard can be best described as a personal water craft fitted with a water jetpack/hoverboard. Flyboards were invented rather recently by a French watercraft rider in the Autumn of 2012, and was introduced to the world during the 2012 jet ski World Championship in China. It quickly became popular among water sport enthusiasts which led the way to a competitive sport to be developed out of it.
In competitions, participants are allotted a fixed duration to perform their routine. Each athlete performs various acrobatic moves as a part of their routine. Points are awarded for each run based on number of moves and the degree of difficulty of the moves.
Since the sport is of recent origin, there is no international governing body for the sport and no standardized set of rules. The rules for each tournament varies and depends on the organization that conducts the tournament.
Though the sport is currently practiced mostly at a recreational level, there are a few competitive events conducted for the sport. There is also a Flyboard World Championships event conducted for the sport that began in 2012 in Doha, Qatar.
Similar Sports
- Jet Ski Racing — a water sport similar to powerboat racing, in which riders use jet skis to compete.
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports