International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO) has grown from a two-kiteboarders vision, Frédéric Béné and Eric Beaudonnat. It is mainly for the safer development of the sport to the largest kiteboarding organization in the world.
Located in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, IKO is a small company operating on a global scale. One of it’s biggest challenges is to maintain the quality of the brand worldwide. Although not having the resources to hold a physical presence in every kite spots.
To ensure a consistent level of quality, they created the IKO Standards. It is a set of guidelines and requirements based on years of feedback from the kite community. The Standards need to be followed, otherwise, the trust in the brand is weakened in the eye of the public. Which then affects negatively the entire organization and all its members.
Indeed, when a customer sees the IKO logo, brand name or initials, they have expectations. He assumes that the service they will receive is on par with the Standards.
For an “IKO certified kiteboarding lesson” to meet those Standards
It requires both an IKO Instructor with a valid membership and an affiliated IKO Center. On one hand, the Instructor has learned the IKO teaching methodology. On the other hand, the Center has proven through the affiliation process that they offer a structured teaching environment.
For that reason, the commercial use of the brand name, logo or any material related to the courses and business promotion, is exclusively reserved to certified Centers. This means that a non-affiliated school even with IKO instructors cannot promote themselves with the brand name or the logo. Also independent IKO Instructors cannot promote themselves without affiliating as an IKO Center, as this could be misleading for students.
The organization provides a platform from beginners to advanced kiters. You will find, compare, and book kiteboarding lessons at certified Centers around the world.
When you see the IKO logo, you can rest assured all instructors and coaches use up-to-date techniques and safety procedures. Elite trainers have developed and tested those procedures.
Instructors will certify you with your riding level at the end of your lesson.
Certified Centers in more than 60 countries recognize your certificate which you will get access to.
