Christmas News

May I wish you all the very best for the festive season and the New Year.

It is timely for me to update you all on activities in the past couple of months.

3rd FAI World Sailplane GP Final, January 2 – 9, 2010
Our friends in Santiago, Chile, have been working hard to get this event ready to go in January. The website is http://www.grandprixchile.org

The enthusiasm and energy shown by the organising team is tremendous. The event will have live internet streaming of the racing with commentary by Shaun Lapworth, who did the commentary at the World Air Games. IGC is sending Shaun to Santiago as an investment in this event. Brian Spreckley has been appointed Referee and Roland Stuck Contest Director.

103rd FAI General Conference, October 2009
This conference was held in Incheon, Korea and was very well organised by the hosts. The attendance of 26 nations from the Asia region, who are not yet members of the FAI family, was great to see.

This was also Max Bishop's last General Conference as the FAI Secretary General and he and his wife Angela were celebrated in style during the conference. Max and Angela will be joining us as our guests at the IGC dinner on the Friday evening during the Plenum meeting in March so we will have a chance to thank Max for his support and dedication to the IGC.

Max made a thought-provoking speech as part of his last report to General Conference and you can read it at:
http://www.fai.org/gliding/system/files/IncheonSecGenReport.pdf

The FAI President announced the purchase of new FAI Offices in the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne. Significantly more floor space will be available compared to the present rented offices in Avenue Mon-Repos.

Roland Stuck represented the IGC at this Conference due to my attendance as an FAI board member.
Eric Mozer was re-elected to the FAI Statutes Working Group.

FAI General Secretary
You have already received the announcement of the appointment of M. Stéphane Desprez as the new Secretary General. He was selected as the new FAI Secretary General because, in the unanimous opinion of the FAI Executive Board, he was the outstanding candidate amongst those short-listed by the executive search agency.

His proven track record as a high-level manager and team builder, together with his extensive inside knowledge of the world of sports marketing and sponsorship, mean that he will be able to take FAI to a new level.

The FAI Executive Board will be meeting with him in January.

IGC Annual Meeting, March 2010
We are working on the agenda for the 2010 IGC Plenary at the moment. There are a significant number of proposals that will require voting so I ask you all to be well prepared to debate these items when you come to the meeting.

There are also a large number of bids to host future 2013 Women’s and Juniors World Gliding Championships and 2011 European Gliding Championships. We are devoting extra meeting time to accommodate the total of 10 bids.

Our Guest speakers have yet to be confirmed and I will give you more information about them and the topics as soon as we are able to confirm their attendance.

Our annual meeting is also the time for us to honour members of the gliding community who have excelled in some way or provided exemplary service to our sport. Attached to this newsletter are extracts for the FAI By Laws about the FAI Gilding Awards. Please have a look around at your members and think about who we should be recognising for their involvement in gliding.

Other Activities
Interest continues to build in creating commercially viable solutions for portraying air sports in the media. One initiative under way is to use a variation of the GP race in Italy to provide an attractive event for the media. Another initiative is the development of a story around the GP race which will be produced in conjunction with the 3rd GP Final in Chile.

We have set up a twitter account – FAI_IGC - through the FAI Office and are testing it at the moment. Assuming that it works we will be using this as another vehicle for “press releases” and other news.

Best regards
Bob Henderson
President, IGC
16th December, 2009

FAI AWARDS FOR GLIDING

References are from the FAI By-Laws

10.1.3.3. Nominations for all FAI awards shall be sent to the FAI Secretariat together with citations not exceeding 250 words, and other supporting information required in these By-Laws, to arrive no later than two months before the FAI Commission meeting concerned.

For 2010, the due date is 5 January 2010.

12.4.1. THE LILIENTHAL GLIDING MEDAL
12.4.1.1. History. This Medal, named after the famous early gliding pioneer Otto Lilienthal, was created by the FAI in 1938.
12.4.1.2. Eligibility. It may be awarded for a particularly remarkable gliding performance, or eminent services to gliding, to a currently active glider pilot who has:
12.4.1.2.1. - established an international record during the past year; or
12.4.1.2.2. - made a pioneer flight (defined as a flight which has opened new possibilities for gliding and/or gliding techniques); or
12.4.1.2.3. - rendered eminent service to the sport of gliding over a significant period of time.
12.4.1.3. Frequency and Number. One Medal only may be awarded annually.
12.4.1.4. Nomination and Approval. Procedures shall be as described in Chapter 10.

12.4.2. THE PELAGIA MAJEWSKA GLIDING MEDAL
12.4.2.1. History. This Medal was created by the FAI in 1989, following a proposal by the Aero Club of Poland, in memory of Madame Pelagia MAJEWSKA, eminent Polish glider pilot awarded the Lilienthal Medal for 1960, and holder of 17 world gliding records, who lost her life in an air accident in 1988. The Medal is offered to the FAI by the Aero Club of Poland.
12.4.2.2. Eligibility. The Pelagia Majewska Medal may be awarded annually to a female glider pilot to reward:
12.4.2.2.1. - a particularly remarkable performance in gliding during the past year, or
12.4.2.2.2. - eminent services to gliding over a long period of time.
12.4.2.3. Frequency and Number. One Medal only may be awarded annually.
12.4.2.4. Nomination and Approval. Procedures shall be as described in Chapter 10.

12.4.3 THE PIRAT GEHRIGER DIPLOMA
12.4.3.1. History. This Diploma was created by the FAI in 2000 in memory of Pirat Gehriger, the first President of the International Gliding Commission (then Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile (CIVV)).
12.4.3.2. Eligibility. It may be awarded annually for eminent services to international gliding.
12.4.3.3. Frequency and Number. Normally, only one Diploma may be awarded annually. However, exceptionally, the International Gliding Commission may recommend the award of one or two additional diplomas.
12.4.3.4. Nomination and Approval. Procedures shall be as described in Chapter 10.