What will tomorrow’s CIVL competition scene look like?

In the wake of Piedrahita, the Task Force report and a general concern for competition safety, several proposals regarding competition formats and structures were presented to the 2012 Jiao-Xi Plenary. The Paragliding Competition Subcommittee underlined the complexity of the topic. The PG Subcommittee recommended setting up a Competition Structure Working Group (CSWG) in order to analyse the pros and cons of the various proposals that were on the Plenary agenda, and to define a longer term strategy. The aim is to make recommendations for proposals to the 2013 Plenary.

Having in mind that a Category 1 championship must be a “safe, fair and satisfying contest”, the CSWG will explore the following avenues:

• To split Individual and Nation World paragliding championships with both safety and fairness issues in mind.
• To establish separate championships for different classes of paragliders (for example, one championship for Serial and one for Competition). Options include events with multiple classes of glider in the same championship, or separate events, both with multiple titles (for example, Serial and Competition), or to keep championships open to any class of glider and award only one title.
• To establish a separate new World championship (and ranking system) for PG XC Open Distance.
• To work with PWCA to improve the organization of Category 1 championships.
• To analyse the impact of the new Cat 1 hang gliding "Sport" class championship initiated by the Plenary as part of hang gliding’s existing multiclass events.
• To consider the opportunities for CIVL regarding FAI’s emerging Sports Strategy on competition structures.

The CSWG will take into account:

• The value of a World championship title (symbolic and financial).
• The benefits and concerns for different parties (FAI, NACs, pilots, organisers, sponsors…).
• The financial consequences for these parties.
• The need to find additional competent organisers.
• How Continental and World championships alternate.
• How it fits in FAI General Section rules and emerging Sports Strategy.
• For each of the viable options, the group will define realistic basic rules, cycles and deadlines.
• In other words, the CSWG has the exciting task to define what will be tomorrow competition philosophy, no less.

The CSWG includes:

• Stephane Malbos (FRA), Chairman.
• Thomas Brandlehner, high level competition pilot.
• Calvo Burns (GBR), championship organiser.
• Goran Dimiskovski (MKD), PWCA representative.
• Brian Harris (GBR), CIVL Competition Coordinator.
• Andy Jaxa-Rozen (POL), XC-Open supporter.
• Eduardo Sanchez Granel (ARG), “small team” NAC representative.
• Martin Scheel (SWI), “big team” NAC representative.
• Jamie Shelden (USA), Hang Gliding Sport Class supporter.