The third report on the 96th FAI General Conference, which was held from 9 to 11 October 2003 in Krakow, Poland, focuses on the new FAI Strategic Plan and on one of the projects launched within the context of the FAI Centenary in 2005.

FAI 100th Anniversary Publication
As already mentioned in our Press Release 04/03, FAI will mark its Centenary by publishing a 224-page book (English and French) covering the history and the development of FAI and Air Sports. Mr Pierre Morath, a sports historian, started research work in March 2003 and we now have pleasure in publishing the provisional Table of Contents. In 2004, a subscription campaign will be launched, inviting you to place pre-orders for the book which will be published in March 2005. FAI Members, Air Sport Commissions, Museums and Companies wishing to personalize their books will have the opportunity to have their own logo printed at the beginnning of the book.

Provisional Table of Contents
(subject to later adjusments)

1. Introduction (approx. 20 pages)
- Introduction by the IOC President
- Foreword by the FAI President
- Preface by Mr Eilif Ness
- The FAI : role and mission at the dawn of the 21st Century.

2. Main Part (approx. 130 pages)
Six thematic articles, which put together constitute the history of FAI :
- Development of aeronautics before the founding of FAI
- Birth of FAI and its first years of development (1905-1914)
- The FAI during First and Second World Wars
- Relations between the traditional and new FAI Air Sports
- The FAI and the Olympic Movement
- Relations between sporting and civil aviation; fight for airspace

3. Annexes (approx. 50 pages)
- FAI Presidents (list and biographies)
- FAI Secretary Generals (list)
- FAI Members (list)
- FAI General Conferences (list, dates, locations)
- FAI Gold Air Medals (list and short biographies)
- Chronological development of FAI Air Sports
- Aviation museums world-wide (list and description)

4. Bibliography & Guide for FAI Archives (approx 20 pages)

New Guidelines for the Future of FAI
Adopted by the Executive Board at the beginning of 2003, the new FAI Strategic Plan presented at the General Conference forms a long-term vision to guide FAI activities for the next 3 to 5 years. The main goals depicted in the Strategic Plan are to modernize and promote the image of FAI and Air Sports, to develop attractive international competitions, products and services, and finally to increase the proportion of financial revenues coming from external commercial sources.

The first projects resulting from the new FAI Stratetic Plan have already been launched in 2003, and should bear fruit in 2004 and 2005 : among other projects, a new Corporate Identity and Communication Strategy will be introduced in the course of 2004, the exploitation of FAI Archive and World Record Files will be improved, and the organization of several public events has been launched to celebrate the FAI Centenary in 2005 (further details about the FAI Centenary will be given in a forthcoming FAI-News).

The success of the FAI Strategic Plan relies on the whole FAI Community sharing responsibility for achieving these goals. Each person involved in Air Sports can contribute to these efforts and create positive effects for the whole Air Sports community.
Therefore, we invite you to read the basic principles, visions, goals and priorities contained in the FAI Strategic Plan by downloading the leaflet (242 ko) available at http://www.fai.org/documents. (To better understand its content, please print this PDF file recto-verso on an A4 sheet of paper, then fold the document in 3 equal parts).

Lausanne, 17 November 2003