Competitions

(photo : Vol Libre)

You can play with the air, flying for pure pleasure. You can also fly to compete against the best – both pilots and gliders!

Hang gliding and paragliding competitions are held regularly, both at individual and team levels. Category 1 events are World and Continental Championships, including the World Air Games. Category 2 events are open competitions, and may be regional, national or part of an international series. FAI sanctioned Cat 2 events are listed as such on the FAI Sporting Calendar.

All competitions, pilots and results since 01.01.2001 are available here.

For problems and constructive criticism…

Concerning competition in general:
Contact Brian Harris

Concerning the GAP scoring formula, RACE and FS programs:
Contact Agust Gudmundsson

To compete

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

You can play with the air, you can fly for pure pleasure. You can also fly to compete against the best – both pilots and gliders.

Hang gliding and paragliding competitions are held regularly, both as individual and team events, both as Category 1 or Category 2 events.

Category 1 events are FAI World and Continental Championships. World Championships are held biennially, with Continental Championships taking place in the intervening years.
Category 2 events are registered in the FAI Sporting Calendar as such, provided they are international Sporting events and follow specific rules.

History

Competition has been an essential part of our sport since the earliest days.
At first it was simply a matter of who could skim the furthest down the hill. Then the ‘duration and spot’ format evolved, with points awarded for time in the air and accuracy of landing. The first Hang gliding World Championship was held at Kössen in 1976, based on this format.
Spot landing remained a feature of many tasks until the early 1980s, by which time the emphasis had shifted to cross-country flying. Much was borrowed from sailplane competition formats and competitors recorded their progress by photographing turn-points with cameras en route to designated goals. The pilot with the shortest time was the winner. This format has since remained more or less the same.

However, it is not that simple. Success depends on finding thermals and using them efficiently, and it is easier to find them if there are a number of competitors ahead to mark them, so in an elapsed-time race pilots would hang back to take advantage of the early starters. Simply setting everybody off together was rarely a solution because few sites allow massed-starts and it also leads to dangerous ‘gaggles’ of gliders all fighting within a single thermal.
Gradually scoring formulae evolved which reward pilots for leading the way (‘early birds’). Many other features were added which attempt to eliminate luck as far as possible and also distinguish between a ‘good’ task day and a ‘poor’ one by reducing the points available according to how well the field did overall.

Today, hang gliding and paragliding soaring competitions follow more or less the same pattern, with a preference for ‘race to goal’ tasks.

Spirit

In 1975, the first hang gliding championship rules were voted by the first Plenary of CIVL delegates. The purpose of the championships was "to stimulate the development of hang gliding by an international comparison of performance of pilots and aircraft and to reinforce friendship amongst hang glider pilots of all nations… Three pilots can be entered in each class by any NAC... Each pilot shall have at least hang gliding Badge B…"

So…
- a championship was for all NACs and all pilots, not only the best NACs and pilots
- a championship was to find out which pilot and glider were the best
- a championship was for a limited number of pilots
- a championship was for qualified pilots.

In 1978, the CIVL Plenary decided that "each country could submit a team consisting of up to eight pilots". Team medals were then given away at the next – the 2nd – World championship in 1979 and at every subsequent championships, in hang gliding or paragliding.

The championships’ philosophy is still the same 30 years later: all NACs are welcomed, any gliders can fly (providing they are safe) and a limited number of qualified pilots are admitted for obvious safety reasons.

The last CIVL Plenary (in 2005 in Guatemala) has put extra emphasis on safety, requiring that each championship must not only be "fair" and "satisfying", but also - and firstly - "safe". Many decisions were taken in pursuit of this aim.

Scoring

In the early days, several different systems were developed and international competitors had difficulty in working out the best strategy to suit a particular scoring system. Eventually CIVL voted to support the GAP program which was devised by Gerolf Heinrichs, Angelo Crapanzano and Paul Mollison. GAP started in the mid-1990s and the basic model was adopted for all soaring Championships. The success of the system depends on the task-setter fixing parameters for the tasks he anticipates running throughout the competition. These will include the average length of the tasks, the average speed of the first to goal, and the number of pilots anticipated to reach goal each day. Also included are bonuses for the first in goal and the early-bird. GAP has undergone considerable development by its originators since it was introduced. Adjustments have been made to produce a version which suits paragliding.
GAP formulas have been included in the later developed RACE scoring programs.

GPS

At around the time GAP came into use GPSs entered the competition scene. The photographic evidence pilots had to produce was a perpetual source of problems and protests. Early experiments with GPS were encouraging. Today, GPS has become the standard.
A GPS is guaranteed to give an uncorrupted track log of the flight, timed to the second and impossible to falsify. It can be downloaded in seconds, and, using software such as RACE, the results of a hundred or so pilots can be scored with a few strokes of computer keys. Perfect? Well, almost. There are still technical problems aplenty. However, the experts are steadily solving these problems and there are few who would now exchange GPS for the ‘good old days’ of film cameras.

Paragliding Accuracy

Participation in paragliding accuracy competition has grown steadily and the first World Championships were held in England in 2000.
That event was based on the parascending competitions which had run in the UK and a few other northern European countries for the previous thirty years. The canopies were tow-launched and the emphasis was on the pilot’s foot hitting the centre of the large inflated target – measured to the centimetre – with no penalty for failing to remain standing.
That form of the sport owes much to the traditions of parachuting and the wings favoured by most of the competitors have very poor soaring capabilities. However, particularly in Slovenia and the Balkan countries, there was keen support for accuracy events launched from the mountains and using normal paragliders. To score in these events the pilot has to remain on his or her feet until the wing touches the ground – the ‘no fall’ rule – putting much more emphasis on landing control as well as accuracy.
CIVL has adopted the Slovenian format and many countries are participating.

Aerobatic

Paragliding and hang gliding aerobatic competitions have become a popular spectacle with fliers and the public. Many international events have taken place and CIVL is in the process of formulating general regulations for this exciting branch of the sport. The first true World Championships will be held at Villeneuve, near Montreux (Switzerland), in 2006.

The FAI Sporting Licence

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

Most international Federations have implemented a mandatory international licence for their competitor. FAI has done the same.

Category 1 or 2 competitions are truly international when the pilots who participate officially represent their country. To be sure that the participants do represent a country, the FAI entrusts the National Airsport Commissions (NAC) to give to their pilots an international licence called the Sporting Licence. Pilots must show this Licence when they enter a competition.

The FAI gives Licences free of charge to the NAC.
Each NAC issue the Sporting Licences on proof of identity to those of its individual members who are either citizens or residents of that NAC's country.
A pilot cannot at the same time hold a Sporting Licence issued by more than one NAC

The precise regulation concerning the Sporting Licence can be found in the General Section of FAI Sporting Code, Chapter 8.

Change of country of representation

Every pilot entering a Category 1 competition must show his Sporting Licence.
The country issuing the Licence is considered to be the country that pilot is flying for.

If a pilot wants to fly for another country, he will have to be issued a sporting licence by his new NAC only after notification to his former NAC. He will also have to observe a two calendar years delay without flying in any Category 1 competition. Only then he can switch his or her allegiance.
In other word, this pilot will not be able to participate in another Category 1 competition until two calendar years have passed. However he can fly in Category 2 competitions during those two years.

CIVL Anti-doping Policy - No Doping in Air Sports!

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

Background

The World Anti-Doping Code was adopted in Copenhagen in March 2003. It was drafted by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in consultation with governments, national sports bodies, international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee.

The Code has since been adopted by most of the governments of countries where major FAI events are commonly held. A United Nations agency (UNESCO) has developed an international agreement, the effect of which is to make the WADA Code automatically applicable in all UN member countries.

Many international sports federations have also accepted the Code, including FAI (decisions of the FAI General Conference in Krakow, Poland, October 2003).

By accepting the Code, the FAI has agreed to develop rules and procedures that will give effect to the WADA anti-doping provisions. Draft rules and procedures, together with appropriate changes to the General Section of the FAI Sporting Code were adopted by the FAI Air Sport General Commission (CASI) in January 2004, for implementation on the 1st of April 2004.

Consequences for competitors and CIVL officials

The visible consequences of the change from the FAI’s previous anti-doping rules to the WADA Code are as follows :

The list of banned substances will be the current WADA list, rather than the IOC list (which no longer exists). There have been a few changes to the substances included. Beta-blockers, alcohol and marihuana remain on the list. Any person who competes at international level MUST avoid consuming any of the prohibited substances. (The only exception is if the substance must be taken to treat an illness, and there is no permitted suitable substitute. In this case, the competitor must obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption).
There could be an increase in the number of anti-doping controls carried out at CIVL-sanctioned competitions. Most of these will be conducted by national anti-doping agencies.
At some unspecified future date, a very limited number of FAI competitors could become liable to out-of-competition testing.
Otherwise, the anti-doping regime that has been in force for the last decade in FAI will continue much as before.

Competitors at international hang gliding and paragliding events will remain subject to anti-doping controls, as a result of decisions taken by national authorities.

Consumption of some substances, notably alcohol and marihuana, is incompatible with flight safety. Therefore, regardless of whether or not anti-doping controls are carried out at a competition, all CIVL officials (such as Stewards, Jury Members, Judges) have a duty to intervene and prevent any person whom they suspect to be under the influence of such intoxicating substances from flying.
This has nothing to do with WADA Code. It is just exercising the general responsibility for ensuring flight safety which every CIVL official automatically assumes.
It should be noted that obvious and debilitating illness would also be a reason to intervene and ground a competitor who did not have the good sense to remain on the ground.

All pilots should take the anti-doping rules very seriously, and abstain from prohibited substances.

CIVL opinion

CIVL condemns the use by competitors, in the misguided belief that they improve performance in the air, of substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Such substances may degrade pilot performance and compromise flight safety. The activities, defined as "doping", are contrary to the FAI and CIVL's principles of fair play, and are potentially damaging to competitors health and safety.

In 2004, CIVL Plenary took note that the FAI General Conference accepted the WADA anti-doping Code by an overwhelming majority; expressed satisfaction that there would be no change in the long-established discretionary policy regarding the funding of anti-doping tests by FAI Commissions; and had confidence that FAI would negotiate with WADA an acceptable solution concerning the problem of out-of-competition testing.
CIVL required out-of-competition testing to apply equally to all FAI Air Sport Commissions.

Links

You will find on the web page of the FAI Medico-Physiological Commission a collection of links to pages which provide information on the subject. Note that FAI and CIVL uses the WADA list of prohibited substances valid at the moment of testing.

How to organize Category 1 events

(photo : Malbos/CIVL - Signing the organiser agreement
Lausanne 2006)

You will find on the CIVL 'Documents' page, the following guidelines :

[civl:documents|Practical guidelines for organisers of FAI/CIVL competitions]
[civl:documents/bid_guidelines|Guidelines for presentation of bids to hold FAI/CIVL Championships]

How to qualify for Category 1 Hang Gliding events

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

It is the pilot’s responsibility to make sure he/she has qualified

To avoid unnecessary travel, expenses and disappointment in the event a pilot entry is rejected due to not meeting the qualification criteria, we suggest that all pilots and all NAC or National Association/Federation check the qualification criteria well before the competition.

Competition organisers should have a signed declaration on the entry form that the pilot meets the qualification criteria.

Exemptions

Women flying hang gliding championships must complete the form available from the CIVL Competitions Coordinator at least one month before the Championship.

All other exemptions applications must be made in writing by the pilots NAC, with supporting evidence of the pilot’s international competition history. This should be received by the CIVL Competitions Coordinator at least one month before the Championship.

Contact the CIVL Competitions Coordinator

The qualification criteria can be found in the Section 7A of FAI Sporting Code (2.11)
In contradiction to what Section 7 says, there is not always an available qualification list on the CIVL website. The Ranking system Working Group is studying the matter.

Pilot qualification must be finalised prior to the deadline for registration for the competition.

A pilot has to have either competed in a Category 1 event in the four years before the qualifying date, or placed in the top 2/3 of pilots in a Category 2 event during the 3 years prior to the Championships.

Exceptions will not normally be granted in Class 1 (except for Women’s Worlds). Exceptions in other classes will not normally be granted unless there is clear evidence of a lack of opportunity to qualify.

How to qualify for Category 1 Paragliding events

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

It is the pilot’s responsibility to make sure he/she has qualified

Competition organisers should have a signed declaration on the entry form that the pilot meets the qualification criteria.

Exemptions

All exemptions applications must be made in writing by the pilots NAC, with supporting evidence of the pilot’s international competition history. This should be received by the CIVL Competitions Coordinator at least one month before the Championship.

Contact the CIVL Competitions Coordinator

The qualification criteria can be found in the Section 7B of FAI Sporting Code (2.11)

Pilot qualification will be finalised no later than 60 days prior to the start of the competition.

In the 3 years before the entry deadline for the competition a pilot has to have either ranked above a certain level in the WPRS for paragliding or flown a X number of flights over Y kilometres in FAI sanctioned paragliding competition with more than Z number of pilots.
The WPRS ranking level and the values of X,Y and Z will be published in the Local Regulations for each Category 1 championship.

Exceptions will not normally be granted for World Championships.

Nations ranking

It is based on the added individual results of the top 4 pilots of each nation.

Re-allocation

In the event of not all available places being taken at closing date of entries (NOT registration), extra places will be allocated as stated in the Local Regulations.

How to qualify for Category 1 Paragliding Accuracy events

(photo : Riikka Vilkuna)

It is the pilot’s responsibility to make sure he/she has qualified

Competition organisers should have a signed declaration on the entry form that the pilot meets the qualification criteria.

Exemptions

Contact the CIVL Competitions Coordinator

The qualification criteria can be found in the Section 7C of FAI Sporting Code (2.11)

If the competitor's country issues pilot licences for paragliding, the pilot must hold a valid licence; this should be equivalent to IPPI 4 standard as a minimum.

How to qualify for Category 1 Aerobatic events

(photo : Balibouse/Red Bull)

It is the pilot’s responsibility to make sure he/she has qualified

Competition organisers should have a signed declaration on the entry form that the pilot meets the qualification criteria.

The qualification criteria are not yet specified. In the first World Championship (Villeneuve, Switzerland, 2006), pilots have to prove their level of skill by going throught selections tasks prior to the competition.

How to organize Category 2 events

(photo : Malbos/CIVL)

The full regulations can be found in the relevant chapters of the FAI Sporting Code (General Section and Section 7).

The application form

The application form available on the Documents page must be fully completed and sent to the CIVL Competitions Coordinator

The organiser must provide the following a minimum of one month before the event:

• A completed application form to the CIVL Competitions Coordinator
• The sanction fee (one pilot entry fee, minimum of 20 Euros) is received by the FAI. This will enable the event to appear on the FAI calendar and be publicised as a Category 2 event.

Events must have the approval of the National Aero Club (NAC) of the organiser in order to be sanctioned as Category 2. The person who signs the application form must have obtained this. If the event is to be held in the territory of another NAC then the organiser must also obtain authorization from that NAC. Written proof of this authorization must be submitted to FAI/CIVL with the sanction form.

It must be run in accordance with FAI rules (Sporting Code, General Section, 3.3.1). Only pilots holding FAI licences who compete at sanctioned events will be scored in the Pilot Ranking Scheme. Organisers must register every pilot that holds a valid sporting licence and report this in the results.

International Participation
Category 2 event must be INTERNATIONAL and Open to foreign pilots. A minimum of 25% of the maximum available places must be set aside for pilots from nations other than that of the organiser e.g. if the maximum number is 100, 25 of these places will be set aside for international competitors. The registration deadline for foreign pilots shall be no sooner than 15 days before the start of the competition, after that date unused places can be filled at the discretion of the organiser.

Minimum numbers
The minimum number of competitors required to validate a Second Category event shall be stated in the regulations for that event and shall not be less than ;
15 for Class 1, Hang gliding (Flex)
6 for Class 5. Hang gliding (Rigid)
8 for Paragliding Accuracy
5 for Paragliding Solo Acrobatics (3 teams in Synchro)

No minimum number for Paragliding XC is specified

The maximum number of pilots must not exceed 150.

Results
For Hang Gliding Class 1 and 5, PG Accuracy and Acrobatics there must be at least two valid tasks/rounds for a Category 2 event to be valid.

A set of the complete results in an approved format must be sent to the CIVL Competition Co-ordinator the CIVL Competitions Coordinator within 7 days of the end of the competition for updating the appropriate Pilot Ranking Scheme.

Please confirm the number of valid tasks/rounds flown.

Format
Preferred formats are: FSDB file or the full RACE database.
An Excel file is also acceptable (.xls or .csv) with the results in the following order:
Name (First name followed by family name)
Nation (IOC abbreviated codes)
Total (score)
Valid_FAI_licence (number)
CIVL Pilot_ID (available from the WPRS ranking database )
Please note: PDF files are NOT acceptable.

Cancellation
If an event is cancelled and all the pilots are given the opportunity to get their money back, an event can be rescheduled provided that the minimum 30 days notice is given. The time period is measured from the start of the competition.

The sanction fee

This is equivalent to one pilot entry fee, including any compulsory extras (transportation, retrieve, etc), but not including accommodation. The minimum amount to be paid is 20 euros. The sanction fee must be paid in Euros exclusively directly to FAI.

Payments may be made by direct bank transfer or by credit card

Here are the full banking references, which must be used for all payments:

Credit Suisse Private Banking
Rue du Lion d'Or 5-7
Case postale 2468
CH - 1002 Lausanne
SWIFT/BIC Code: CRES CHZZ 10A
Account name : Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Account n° for Euros exclusively: 0425-457968-32
IBAN code: CH31 0483 5045 7968 3200 0

Please reference the payment as follows:
- Category 2 sanction fee,
- Name and date of event.
- Discipline involved (hang gliding, paragliding, paragliding accuracy, aerobatic).

Alternatively you can pay by credit card direct to the FAI. The credit card details can be e-mailed to Cosette Mast (at your own risk – we do not recommend that you do it) - Tel: +41 21 345 1070 - Fax: +41 21 345 1077.

Contact the CIVL Competitions Coordinator

Practical guidelines for organisers of FAI/CIVL competitions

How to qualify for Category 2 event

(photo : unknown)

All a pilot need is a valid FAI Sporting Licence. He will get one from his NAC or federation.

The calendars

(photo : Balibouse/Red Bull)

Competitions will be listed once all registrations steps have been completed (full information received, payment of the sanction fees, etc)…

Calendar of Hang gliding competitions (including speed gliding and aerobatics):
Calendar of Paragliding competitions:

RACE, FS and GAP

Race - Scoring software:

Current version of Race is version 2003 and is downloadable on this page.

Older versions of Race can have problems in latest versions of Windows and also have different format of the pilot and scoring database.
Download RACE 2003 (6.8 MB)
Race has number of formulas built in. The most common formulas and the ones mandatory for Category 1 competitions is the GAP formula.

Here is also available newer version of Race (Version 6.2.20) which have number of bug fixes. Most noticable bug fix is in the GAP2000 formula when Departure and Arrival points are disabled.
Also it has the OZGap 2005 formula built in.

Download RACE 6.2.20 (7.0 MB)
When installing version 6.2.20 the user has to uninstall older versions of Race using windows uninstall other versions of Race (Start->Control Panel->Add remove programs).

This version is most likely the LAST version of the Race scoring program.

FS - Flight verification and scoring software
FS is a new program to be the next step after Race.
It is free of charge for all.

Race does not handle GPS or flight verification. FS has it all, task definition, flight verification and scoring. It has built in most of the scoring formulas used in hang and paragliding XC competitions.

FS has separate pages with all information, download and user forums. The FS pages are at http://fs.fai.org.
Please use the forums to discuss issues and questions in using FS. Also please use the "tickets" to report errors and request new features.

GAP - Scoring formulas

The GAP scoring formula has currently two valid versions GAP2000 and GAP2002 (very often confused with the version number of Race).
The explanation of the GAP formulas are available at the bottom of this page.

For more information on the FS or RACE scoring programs and future developments, please contact Agust Gudmundsson and the CIVL Software Working Group.

World and Continental championships

(photo : CIVL - The first hang gliding World podium: left to right, Dean Kupchanko, Terry Delore and Steve Moyes - Kössen, Austria, 1976)

World Championships

European Championships

Hang Gliding
Paragliding
Paragliding Accuracy
Aerobatic (no championship held yet)

Asian Championships

Paragliding

Pan American Championships

Paragliding

WXC - CIVL World XC online contest

WXC - a World Wide HG and PG Cross Country online contest

The basic philosophy of WXC is to interconnect all online XC contests around the world to create a World XC online contest. It runs alongside existing contests, allowing pilots to compare their flights across regions and compete internationally. Essentially, the WXC is a network of online contests. It is completely free of charge to pilots and requires no additional effort on their part. Existing online contests will continue to operate in the normal way, according to their local rules.
The idea behind the WXC is to encourage and motivate pilots to fly more often, fly further and to undertake more challenging tasks, such as out and returns and triangles. Online contests have been around in the hang gliding and paragliding community for decades. Initially, many started out as manually operated XC leagues in regions or countries. Technology changes like the world wide web and the GPS have transformed these XC leagues, so now they are hosted on the Internet, and can be administered by the pilots themselves when claiming flights.

Today there are many online XC contests established around the world. And there are many countries, regions and clubs looking to launch their own online competitions. Typically, a pilot participating in an online contest, submits his flights to his preferred or local contest. If this online contest is a registered and networked contest, his flight will automatically be submitted to the WXC for scoring.

The scoring of online contests around the world varies, so WXC will re-score the flight according to WXC rules (see:http://wxc.fai.org), to allow all flights to be compared fairly. Pilots cannot submit flights directly to the WXC, they can only be submitted through an existing online contest which is registered and networked to the WXC. All flights submitted to online contests networked to WXC are automatically submitted to the WXC server for scoring in the WXC. All Online contest servers are welcome to join the WXC network. Already several contests have signed up to the WXC and more will follow. Connected contests can be seen in the left hand column of the WXC web pages. Normally, flights must be submitted to the WXC within 14 days of the actual flight, and older flights are not accepted.

Following early trials during 2008 CIVL launched the first full WXC season trial on 1 October 2008, which ran to 30 September 2009. This was the first full season to trial the operation of the CIVL World XC contest. The 2009/2010 season is now underway.

Pilots must have a valid CIVL_ID. This is allocated automatically to all pilots who have participated in any FAI sanctioned competition since 01.01.2001. Pilots should first check if they are registered (and update their info and upload photos) at http://civlrankings.fai.org Click the 'Pilots' link.
Pilots with no CIVL ID, can register here.
The WXC web is at: http://wxc.fai.org

Online contest organisers and others looking for more information, please Contact Agust Gudmundsson

Approved Local Regulations for Category 1 Competitions

It was agreed at a Bureau meeting in Talloires, 1st February 2007, that all CIVL approved Local Regulations for Category 1 Competitions shall be published on the CIVL Website.

The Local Regulations published on this page are those approved and accepted by the Plenary, or approved by the Bureau.

Also below are the Entry Requirements for Category 1 Competitions which have been approved by CIVL and published in advance of the Local Regulations.

The Local Regulations and Entry Requirements for upcoming FAI/CIVL Category 1 competitions: