Welcome and thank you for your interest in becoming IKO Affiliated! We hope that you will enjoy all the benefits and services that the IKO will offer you as an Affiliated School in the coming months. Moreover, Affiliated Schools enjoy the status of being called an “IKO Kite Center”. IKO is a name where hundreds of kiters worldwide have come to trust and look for when selecting a school. IKO has become synonymous with safety. By completing the Affiliation process, your school too will be synonymous with safety. Your next step is to read and accept this Agreement. Once you are done with that, you will receive information from IKO School Department on how to complete the Affiliation process.

By Signing Up, you agree to our terms and conditions of use, KMC agreement and that you have read and understand our privacy policy.

You confirm that all information given is accurate and that all documents submitted are legal and valid. Any change will be immediately forwarded to IKO.

You have acquainted yourself with the standards including the chart of sanctions and will apply them.

This Agreement is a contract between you and the IKO and applies to your approval of the IKO Kite Center affiliation contract, label, and any related products and services. This Agreement affects your rights, and you should read it carefully. In this Agreement, "you" or "your" means any person or entity using the label (“Center” or “Center manager”). Unless otherwise stated, "IKO," “us”, "we" or "our" will refer collectively to the IKO and its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and contractors.

By “signing up"; you agree to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, to the general terms and conditions of use, to the privacy policy and any documents incorporated by reference. You further agree that this Approval Agreement forms a legally binding contract between you and the IKO, and that this Agreement constitutes "an online signed by you" under any applicable law or regulation. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by the IKO. This Agreement is subject to change by the IKO without prior notice.

1. Contents

Relationship between You and IKO: by registering your Center, you appoint IKO as the organization to affiliate your Center internationally, and are subject to the terms and restrictions of this Agreement.

2. Center Requirements

You acknowledge that the IKO affiliation is a quality label. Therefore, the Center must adhere to the IKO quality and safety standards including the chart of sanctions and abide by the following:

Eligibility: In order to be affiliated you must register the Center and complete all the documents requested by the IKO School Department, or in case of a renewal confirm that all information online are updated. Your Center must be registered in accordance with the laws of the country in which the Center is established. IT IS IKO'S ASSUMPTION THAT CENTERS SIGN UP FOR IKO AFFILIATION ONLY AFTER HAVING DETERMINED THAT OPENING AND OPERATING A KITE CENTER VIOLATES NO LAWS OR REGULATIONS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRY AND JURISDICTION. You warrant that you are not violating any law or regulation by your usage of the IKO label approval, and you will indemnify the IKO for any and all liability that might arise from your use of IKO.

Head Instructor: The Head Instructor must be a qualified IKO Instructor level 2 or above, with a valid IKO membership, must have taken the online course “Become a Head Instructor”, and must be hired full-time by the Center. The Head Instructor is liable for the training of all staff, including Assistants and Instructors, and must assist new Instructors during their first week of work in the Center. If the Head Instructor stops working at the Center, he and the Center Manager must inform the IKO 30 days prior to the change. A new Head Instructor must be hired in order to meet affiliation standards.

Safety rules: The Affiliated Center must set safety and rescue procedures, post those in a visible place as well as the emergency phone numbers and have available a first aid kit. The Center must have at least one rescue unit equipped with safety devices according to localregulations at disposal, or have the right to use a safety device form a third party. Safety gear such as helmets, floating jackets (for water) and control bar safety devices (leash, leash release, harness line release or quick release on one leader line) must be used and available for teaching and for students' use. The Center must display a weather report on a daily basis available for all the customers.

Insurance policies: The Center must subscribe to IKO’s Center Liability Insurance policy for kite activities, or hold private insurance coverage. If the Center has its own insurance coverage, then it must add the IKO as additional insured. It is also strongly recommended that all IKO Instructors subscribe to liability coverage for teaching.

Equipment: The lessons are led with relaunchable kites rigged up with functional safety systems and control bars with functional safety equipment. A log book should be used to keep track of the maintenance of safety systems and bars. The Center must have the necessary equipment for all local wind conditions. The Center must only sell verified equipment and bars equipped with functional safety systems.

3. Center Responsibilities

Registration Information: You agree to provide true, accurate and complete registration information and to maintain and promptly update your information as applicable. You agree not to impersonate any other person or use a name that you are not authorized to use. If any information you provide is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, without limiting other remedies, IKO has the right to terminate your IKO affiliation.

Password: you may not reveal your account password(s) to anyone else, nor may you use anyone else's password.

Teaching courses: lessons are run by IKO qualified Instructors only. Instructors must have a current first aid certification and a boat/driving license (for water Centers) according to the country regulations in which the Center operates. The maximum student/Instructor ratio is 1-2 students/1 kite flying for Level 1 Instructors and 1-4 students/2 kites flying for Level 2 Instructors. Teaching must be conducted in a safe and adapted site for students. IKO Instructors must teach safety, practice and analysis to the students according to the IKO teaching standards so that all students work towards becoming independent riders. The Center must provide harness, floating jackets (for water) and helmet to each student and make sure s/he wears them at all times.

Student Registration and Waiver Form: the Center must use the Student Registration and Waiver Form when signing up students for lessons. It must also ensure that all students sign the Form before starting the course (The IKO Student Registration and Waiver Formis downloadable in the Centerpro area). During a Quality Control, the IKO can request to review the Student Registration and Waiver Form.

Certification: the level of each student must be certified with the IKO Member Card, without exception, at the end of the course, according to the student’s standards. The certification must be delivered by an IKO Instructor. The Center must register the student’s feedback by using the IKO Online Feedback System. Each student should also receive a copy of the Kiteboarder’s Handbook.

Quality control: The IKO reserves the right to send a Quality Representative to check the Center at any time. This quality check may be done randomly, or may be the result of negative feedbacks/complaints sent to the IKO. If a Center is hosting an ITC, IKO Examiners reserve the right to evaluate the Center/facility and report back to the IKO. The Center must comply with this quality check and cooperate with the Quality Representative. In the event that the Center does not authorize the Quality Representative to do his/her job, the Center may be suspended and lose its IKO insurance coverage and Center affiliation.

Instructor listing: Each Instructor working in the Center must be listed on the Center profile page. The Center manager can easily update the list on the Pro area (Center profile page). Only Instructors that are registered as working in the Center can use the Center’s online credits. It is the Center’s responsibility to provide Member Cards to the Instructors to use and give them access to log in their teaching hours.

Accident reporting: Any accidents that occur while teaching students or hosting Instructor Training Courses (ITCs/IECs) are to be reported directly to IKO Support within 3 days of the incident, regardless of the severity of the accident. In the event that a Center is found to have not reported an accident, the Center could be suspended and lose its IKO affiliation.

Assignability: You may not transfer any rights or obligations you may have under this Agreement without the prior written consent of IKO. IKO reserves the right to transfer this Agreement or any right or obligation under this Agreement without your consent.

4. Center Affiliation

Start and Finish: IKO reserves the right to validate your affiliation once you have fully completed the affiliation forms with the supporting documents and paid the Center affiliation fee. Once the procedure is completed The Center is approved for 1 year. The payment of school renewal affiliation fee extends your affiliation date but does not guarantee and valid in any case the renewal of the affiliation for the upcoming year. IKO reserves the right to end the Center’s affiliation, access to its website, or access to the services at any time and for any reason, upon notice to you. In case of false declaration or not complying or respecting the IKO standards, the affiliation will be suspended with no reimbursement and you will indemnify us for any and all liability that might arise from your false declaration.

Loyalty program: According to IKO Affiliated Center’s loyalty program, centers will benefit from the following discount:

 - 10% for the second year of affiliation
 - 20% for the third year of affiliation and for every other year
 - 20% on the second IKO affiliated center or more, granted all Centers owned by the same group are affiliated.

Note: the loyalty program only applied for Centers that renew their affiliation before expiry date. If the Center renews past expiry date, the discount is null.

Trademarks: ikorg.com, ikointl.com, IKO and all related logos, products and services described are either trademarks or registered trademarks of IKO. Any other reproduction are only permitted according to the IKO Logo Guidelines and may not be reproduced, copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of IKO. For more info: IKO Standards

Disclaimers: In no event shall IKO be liable for damages caused to a third party by intentional misconduct or for any indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages whatsoever, arising out of or in any way related to your use of or inability to use the affiliation or the IKO standards and certification. In no event shall IKO be liable for any act or omission of any third party or any circumstances beyond our control.

5. Status of limitation

Center understands that the time period within which you can complain about an IKO Kite Center, Instructor or Assistant is 3 months. Past this time, complaints are not handled by the IKO Head Office. To file a complaint, contact [email protected].

6. Term and termination

The term of this contract commences as soon as all affiliation requirements have been met and the Center receives email confirmation from IKO Support with the Center IKO ID and pro area access. The affiliation is valid for 1 year and shall be renewed automatically. If the Center does not want to renew affiliation with the IKO, it must give IKO Support a 3 month notice to terminate the contract in writing. The IKO may revoke this agreement at any given time if the Center is in breach of the terms of this agreement.

Arbitration: This Agreement is governed by and interpreted under the laws of the Dominican Republic. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the provision of Services shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the Dominican Republic.

By signing up you confirm that you have read and accept the terms of the IKO Kite Center Agreement, and that the information that I have provided to the IKO is accurate.