kite

Snow kiting is an offshoot of kiteboarding, a water sport that is popular in places such as the Columbia River Gorge.

"There weren't many sports in Kuwait around the 1970s apart from football and suddenly kiting became all the craze."

The main purpose of this organization, according to its Web site (www.aka.kite.org), is to educate the public in the art, history, technology and practice of building and flying kites and advance the joys and values of kiting in all nations.

Highlights for 2006 include long-tailed dragon kites, kite buggying and power kiting, stunt kites, box kites and the traditional mass kite fly event, with the chance to see some of the world's best kite makers flying their colourful creations.

Ancient kite has a global history :n The kite is believed to have originated around 2,500 years ago in China, Malaysia or Indonesia.n Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760 because too many people preferred to fly kites than work.n The world record for the longest kite fly is 180 hours.n Approximately 12 people are killed each year in kiting accidents across the world.n You do not need wind to fly a kite.n Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning was electricity.n Englishman Lawrence Hargrave emigrated to Australia, where he invented the box kite in 1893.n In 1901 Marconi used a Hexagon kite to transmit the first radio signals across the Atlantic.