Empowering The World To Experience Kiteboarding With Confidence

Every year, over 40,000 new kiters are certified, 850 Instructors become qualified and dozens of schools from all over the world are affiliated as IKO Centers.

The IKO qualification opens up work opportunities in more than 350 IKO Centers spread over 60 countries and lets you showcase your experience, helping you to find your dream gig on our exclusive jobs search platform.

Established in 2001, the International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO) has grown from a 2-man vision for a safer development of the sport to the largest kiteboarding organization in the world. The IKO now has an active community of more than 600,000 certified kiters, 5,000 qualified Instructors and 350 affiliated Centers in over 60 countries.

Our mission is to strive for the safe and sustainable growth of kiteboarding by empowering people to experience the sport with confidence.

We enhance the kiters’ learning experience by investing in digital technologies to provide them with the tools and resources needed to start and progress safely in kiteboarding. For Instructors, we offer world-class professional training and a qualification that opens up international career opportunities. We help kiteboarding schools to thrive by giving them the means to increase revenues, and deliver a meaningful learning experience that kiters can trust and enjoy.

At the IKO, we connect kiters with the world’s largest selection of recreational and pro courses– including every level from Discovery to Evolution, and Assistant to Examiner. Our vision is to provide top quality services through an all-inclusive online booking platform. The booking platform will enhance kiteboarding experiences as well as facilitate travel while building the most responsible and knowledgeable kite-community worldwide.

With our headquarters located in windy Cabarete, Dominican Republic, our 12 team members are committed to making this vision a reality. Every year, more than 40,000 new kiters are certified, 850 Instructors get qualified and dozens of schools from all over the world affiliate as IKO Centers. So, whether your goal is to learn how to kite, to turn your passion into a job, or to get the quality recognition your business deserves, you can trust in the IKO to get you there with confidence.

Enhancing kiters experience

The IKO provides a platform for beginners to advanced kiters to find, compare, and book top-quality kiteboarding lessons in IKO Centers around the world.

The IKO also offers these kiters the opportunity to start learning online with the Kiter Premium membership. This gives them access to more than 25 hours of online learning in 6 different languages for the safest and most effective way of learning and progressing.

At the end of their lessons with an IKO Instructor, kiters have their riding level certified and access their vCard, the official kiteboarding certification, recognized by the IKO Community in more than 60 countries.

Offering career opportunities to Instructors

The IKO offers the opportunity for advanced kiters to make a living out of their passion for kiteboarding, by following a top-of-the-line professional training and become qualified IKO Instructors. This is an international distinction that recognizes the instructor’s skills and abilities to teach kiteboarding safely and effectively.

The IKO qualification opens up work opportunities in more than 350 IKO Centers spread over 60 countries and, lets you showcase your experience and find your dream gig on our exclusive jobs search platform.

The IKO empowers Instructors to pursue a career as a kiteboarding trainer, thanks to the kiter certification and the feedback system which helps Instructors improve and progress towards higher levels, privileges and responsibilities.

Helping Centers to thrive

The IKO affiliates and unites kiteboarding schools that wish to commit to higher quality standards and safety procedures for the development of the sport and the training of kiters.

IKO Centers are recognized worldwide and, specific membership plans allow kiteboarding lessons to be booked straight from the IKO website.

The IKO additionally supports its Centers on increasing their business activity with promotions and advertising campaigns as well as providing opportunities to organize professional training courses.