All clear for 1st Pan-American Paragliding Championship

After a difficult few weeks for the Brazilian organisers, it has just been confirmed that the 1st FAI Pan-American Paragliding Championship has been given the ‘all-clear’ to proceed. It will now definitely happen in March 2008! The FAI General Conference in October alerted CIVL to the problem that Brazil’s membership of the FAI would lapse, if the Aero Clube do Brasil did not pay its membership fee for 2007, by the end of the year. Although the situation is far from resolved, the FAI has taken steps to ensure that ALL the Brazilian international air sport events currently listed on the FAI Sporting Calendar for 2008 may go ahead. Under FAI Statute 1.8.2. and 4.2.2.12, the FAI Executive Board is authorized to administer Sporting Powers, to delegate them, and to exercise retained Sporting Powers. The Board has therefore decided, with immediate effect, to withdraw all international Sporting Powers from the Aero Clube do Brasil and to exercise these powers centrally until further notice. Events already on the calendar will proceed as planned under arrangements made directly by FAI. Sporting Licences issued by the Aero Clube do Brasil will remain valid, but pilots applying for a licence or renewing a licence should contact the FAI directly. The validity of 2007 sporting licences of pilots selected to represent Brasil in the 1st Pan-American Championship will be automatically extended by the FAI to cover the period of that championship. The 1st Pan-American Paragliding Championships are scheduled to take place from 11th to 22nd March, 2008, in the Castelo area of Brazil. Entry fee is US $430 and includes daily lunch, transport and retrieve, plus 3 evening meals and t-shirt. Further information is available on the championship website at: http://www.hipoxia.com.br/usa/usa/index.php Eligible pilots from other continental regions may be accepted if there are available places. These will be allocated in the order of application. Entries must be made on the Official Entry Form and include the entry fees. The entry deadline is 12th February 2008.