The World Games 2013 is the biggest multi-sports event of the year and features 32 sports including parachuting canopy piloting and paragliding accuracy. The great media impact of the event, which will start on 25 July 2013, will be felt worldwide. The FAI does all that it takes to promote its sports not only to the TV spectators and press readers, but also to the public attending the event. For this reason the FAI appointed Regan Tetlow as an official presenter of the airsports events at the World Games 2013.
“Regan will be in charge of introducing the athletes, commentating on the competitions and explaining the rules to the public who are not necessarily familiar with airsports; his experience, knowledge and ability to interact and engage with the crowd will be a great asset to both parachuting canopy piloting and paragliding accuracy events,” FAI Senior Sports Manager Rob Hughes said.
Regan has been skydiving for 23 years and has 8000 jumps under his belt. He competed in 4 and 8 way in the UK from 1997 to 2001 and won Bronze, Silver and Gold in both events. His experience as a presenter includes events such as the Mondial 2012 (FAI World Parachuting Championships). “I am very lucky to be in a situation that allows me to follow my two main passion; Skydiving and working a crowd. I have presented at some incredible events over the last few years and it is always a lot of fun. I like to bring my energy to others,” Regan said.
Although originally a skydiver, Regan will also present the paragliding accuracy competition, a discipline with which he is quickly getting up to speed. “I am trying to find out as much info as possible on paragliding right now. There is a wealth of info online of course,” he continued.
Presenting competitions in a fun and interesting way involves knowledge of the sports, but also of the competitors. “When I arrive at the events I try to speak to the competitors in person before the games begin,” he said. “I know a lot of the parachuting canopy piloting competitors already but there is always someone new and always a bit more background to be gleaned from little chats...”
The World Games are organised and governed by the International World Games Association (IWGA), under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The 2013 edition will take place in Cali, Colombia, over a period of 11 days from July 25 to August 4 2013. 32 official sports feature in the programme, including Parachuting Canopy Piloting and Paragliding Accuracy, while AeroMusicals (Aeromodelling) is present as a demonstration sport. The Parachuting and Paragliding competitions will run concurrently on the same site, for maximum spectator interest, from 1 to 4 August 2013. Some 66 competitors (36 for parachuting and 30 for paragliding) gained entry to the Games.