European PG and World Aerobatics Championships awarded

CIVL is delighted to announce that two further Category 1 competitions have been awarded for 2010. The 11th FAI European Paragliding Championship will be organised in Abtenau in Austria, from 23rd May to 5th June 2010. The 2nd FAI HG & PG Aerobatics World Championships will be organised in Omegna in Italy, from 6th to 15th August 2010. Following the 2008 Plenary Meeting in Mexico in February, the CIVL Bureau was tasked to seek suitable bids for unawarded 2010 Category 1 Championships. The first success is the bid from Austria to hold the European PG Championship, in Abtenau, just 47km from Salzburg, and 177km from Munich. The site has hosted the PWC in 2004 and numerous national competitions in the past. The organising team is led by the Brandlehner family, who run the local club and who were involved with the PWC in 2004. Look forward to Alpine cross country flying, with triangle tasks up to 130km possible, from the Trattberg (1758m) and Bischlinghohe (1832m) take-offs. More information will be posted on the organisers’ website in due course. A test event is planned to be held in 2009, dates to be announced. After the disappointment of the cancelled Championships in Voss, CIVL is delighted that Italy has taken up the challenge of organising the 2010 PG and HG Aerobatics World Championships. The location will be Omegna, just north of Lake Orta, west of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. The event will be organised by the successful Acroaria team, that has run HG and PG aerobatics competitions annually for some years. The take off on cima Mottarone is at 1440m, with a 3km glide to the lake, giving paragliders around 1000m altitude for manoeuvres before landing on the raft. The lakeside is already spectator and media friendly with an Acro Village and area reserved for pilots. More information about next year’s test event and the 2010 Worlds will be posted on the organisers’ website, www.acroaria.it The Bureau decisions to award these bids will be ratified by the 2009 CIVL Plenary. Meanwhile, congratulations to both Austria and Italy. At the February 2008 CIVL Plenary, bids were received for only two Category 1 competitions for 2010 and both were successfully awarded: the 2nd FAI European Paragliding Accuracy Championship to Turkey, and the 2nd FAI Asian PG Championships to Japan. Still outstanding are the 2010 HG European Championships, World HG class 2 & 5 and Women’s class 1 Championships and Pan-American Continental PG Championships. Potential bidders are asked to contact CIVL President, Flip Koetsier, as soon as possible.