Jury, Stewards, Judges

Jury

The Jury is the neutral and independent element between the organiser and the competitors.

The Jury's main role is to ensure that the event at which it is officiating is run in a fair, safe and satisfying manner, in accordance with the General Section and Section 7 of the FAI Sporting Code and with the approved Local Regulations. 

The Jury can give advice to the event director and the steward regarding the rules and the general running of the event. However, when giving advice, care should be taken to represent the position of the Jury as a whole and not just the individual Jury member.

The Jury President has the power to stop the event at any point if the organiser fails to follow FAI rules and procedures until a Jury meeting has considered the situation.

The Jury has the right to terminate the event if the organizer fail to abide by the FAI Sporting Code and published regulations. This includes situations where FAI safety rules or guidelines may be compromised.  The Jury President should seek advice from the CIVL President and/or FAI Secretariat before stopping a competition. 

Typically, the Jury at a CIVL Category 1 event is ‘nominated’ by CIVL Bureau and composed of one Jury President and two members. Remote jurors may be appointed when appropriate.

The Bureau choses people of experience that have been working within CIVL and are well aware not only of the rules, but also of the goals and purposes of CIVL – the spirit of the rules.

Stewards

The Steward's main job is to facilitate the smooth running, safety and fairness of a 1st Category FAI Championship event. The Steward is the independent representative of CIVL, attending the competition for the purpose of observing the conduct of the competition and giving advice to the organisers, team leaders and pilots.

The Steward has no formal power or authority to make decisions. 

The Steward, being a source of technical information concerning the rules and scoring, can and should liaise with the meet officials and Jury for the purposes of rule interpretations and factors affecting the fairness and safety of the competition. The Steward also collects information and reports on the event to the CIVL Competition Committee.

The Steward’s work starts with the Practice Event.  This first report is particularly important to ensure that the organisers are prepared to run the following year’s 1st Category Championship to FAI Sporting Code Rules.  

Steward training opportunities are available.  Contact the CIVL Competitions Coordinator to register your interest and for further information.

Jury President and Steward reports are published after each Category 1 event.
They are made available to Delegates of CIVL on request.

Further information on the role of Jury and Stewards can be found in the FAI/CIVL Jury and Steward Handbook. Competition organisers should be familiar with this document.

Aerobatic Judges

The judging panel is to consist of at least 3 independent judges from at least 2 different countries, one of them being chosen from the list of senior judges is to be the chief judge. The judging panel consists of a group of 5 to 8 persons:

• 3 FAI qualified judges
• 1 to 5 VIP judges chosen from, journalists, representatives of sponsors, authorities, non participating pilots…

The mark is composed of the scoring average of the FAI judges (importance 80%) and the scoring average of the other judges (importance 20%). When a sufficient number of spectators is present on the event area, a portion of the score is defined by the applause and cheering of the audience. The judges' decision is final. No complaints or protests are allowed!

More about Judges responsibilities is found in the Aerobatic Annex of Section 7B of the Sporting Code.

Paragliding Accuracy Judges

A team of five Judges is required for Category 1 Paragliding Accuracy Championships, and at least four for 2nd Category events.  The Judges are key to determining each pilot’s performance by observing, measuring and recording a score.  

In addition, Paragliding Accuracy Records & Badges can only be achieved through performances recorded by CIVL-approved Chief or Event Judges operating at FAI Sanctioned competitions.  

The positions of Chief Judge and Event Judge require training and experience, typically at Category 2 events, prior to judging at a 1st Category event.  The Target Judge team will consist of at least another three members. The judging team at Category 2 events should include judges from at least two nations.  Category 1 Championships must include Judges from 3 nations, with the Chief and Event Judges from different nations.

The Judges will observe all pilot landings noting the first point of ground contact of the Competitor.  An electronic scoring device (pad) typically scores from the Dead Centre (DC) out to 15cm.  The judges measure scores beyond this, out to 5 or 10m.  

More about Judges responsibilities is found in Section 7C of the Sporting Code.

Training at all levels is available on a regular basis each year, often to coincide with major events.  Training and qualified judges should make sure they maintain a Judging Log Book, signed by the Chief/Event Judge for each entry.  Contact the Committee Chairman for dates and venues of training seminars, or a Chief or Event Judge in your country (see list).

The list below will help Organisers seeking CIVL-appointed, qualified international Chief or Event Judges for their events.  The list will be updated on a regular basis. Contact the Committee Chair for amendments to the list, or to find a Chief/Event Judge from a nation not listed.