HK businessman Neil Pryde and International Sailing Federation president Gordon Petersson shake hands on the deal that will see the Pryde Group's revolutionary RSX sailboard used at the Beijing Olympics. Photo credit: ISAF

The Pryde Group's revolutionary "hybrid" sailboard RSX has been endorsed by sailing's highest authority, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), after it met rigorous quality testing.

In announcing the decision, ISAF president Gordon Petersson noted the outstanding performance of the Neil Pryde RSX at the highest level of competition. "We have found from the testing that the board meets all our expectations," Mr Petersson said. "I hope it will be attractive to all young sailors around the world."

NeilPryde Limited was founded in 1970 in Hong Kong as a simple sail-making business. Over the past 35 years the business has developed into a diversified sports group involved in manufacturing, distribution and brand management, supplying premium goods and services to the performance sports industry. The Pryde Group currently employs more than 2,000 people and its products are sold in over 40 countries worldwide.

Mr Pryde - himself a passionate yachtsman who represented Hong Kong in the Mexico Olympics sailing competition in 1968 - said Hong Kong made the ideal hub for a business he has built up to be a world leader in the performance windsurfing industry.

Ideal international hub

"Being based in Hong Kong has given the company a truly global outlook," said Mr Pryde, originally from New Zealand. "With little or no domestic market for our products we have been forced to look overseas for business opportunities, and from Hong Kong we have successfully built relationships with partners in more than 40 countries.

"Hong Kong is a city with strong legal and financial foundations. Being close to China it makes an ideal operational base from which to co-ordinate our manufacturing as well as our distribution businesses. With its sophisticated port and airport facilities, Hong Kong is undoubtedly among the world's leading logistical centres - all of which makes doing business from here highly efficient and effective."

Another factor that makes Hong Kong a unique city in which to do business is the people, Mr Pryde continued. "There's always been a 'can-do' attitude which seems to come from the combination of local Asian and Western expatriate staff blending hard work, innovation and a get-it-done mentality. There's a pace to life and a willingness to take risks here in Hong Kong that one rarely finds in other countries or cultures."

Proximity to China has enabled the group to develop the sourcing expertise necessary for manufacturing specialised, high performance products, Mr Pryde added. The group operates three factories in China and one in Thailand; manages its brand strategy from the Hong Kong headquarters; has R&D facilities and Maui, Hawaii, and a growing product development program based in the US.

The design of the RSX was intended to bridge a growing chasm between performance levels in windsurfing at Olympic competition and those on the professional windsurfing circuit.

"On the one hand, equipment used at the Olympic Games was originally chosen to encourage the broadest possible participation - and therefore involved a one-design board and sail of a very basic nature," explained Mr Pryde. "On the other, advances in materials and technology meant that professional windsurfers and indeed most regular consumers were sailing on equipment that was lighter, faster and more effective across a broader spectrum of wind conditions. We therefore approached the ISAF with a proposal to develop a new one-design class that was more in line with modern performance equipment."

First class win

The whole procedure from initial proposal to acceptance took nearly four years and involved a bidding process which enabled all the major manufacturers to put forward proposals of their own. The selection was stringent and involved athletes and specialists from around the world.

While the new RSX class will be focused on the Beijing Olympics, Mr Pryde envisages a broader appeal. The group is working with its partners around the world to develop more RSX one-design events that are open to all comers, regardless of their Olympic aspirations.

"The fact is that the RSX really does deliver outstanding performance across a very wide wind range and is relatively easy to sail," Mr Pryde said. RSX equipment is also available (from September 2005 onwards) direct to consumers via the internet, keeping the price competitive.

With the added attraction that Hong Kong's only gold medal was won in windsurfing, Mr Pryde said development of the board is one more way in which The Pryde Group is doing all it can to support Hong Kong and its Olympic team. "Obviously, wish them every success."

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Neil Pryde Group 
ISAF