Team or individual results

By Julien Garcia on
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What went wrong ?
At high level achieving good team result and good individual results is most of the time conflicting. Pilots are spread into what they should do for their team or how they should act to improve their own results. This game becomes poor.

Individually, top ranked pilot can't compète because their national team is full. 6th in the world is bad enough for a frenchy to stay home and watch another pilot getting crowned. Amongst top 100 WPRS, 30+ pilots watch the individual world championship from home. Same apply for women (USA nowadays)

On another end, many Teams are formed by only 1 pilot while the Team scoring will still take 2 best results 🤷🏻

We won 2 past Ă©ditions but we feel the format is outdated.
What would you propose ?
I would review World Championships and spread both purpose. 1 Elite individual stuff Superfinal like where pilots show individual skill on hotships.

Another promotional event, team based, Olympic spirit, a big international paragliding relaxed fest in future sport class.
Issue category
Racing format
Cat1
World Championships
Team competition
7
0
7 votes with an average rating of 1.

World championships format

By Julien Garcia on
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What went wrong ?
Building the Fatality list it appears a big proportion of fatal accident happened during World Championships while at the same time they statistically represent a single event every 2 years in a middle of hundreds of others. The specificity of the format could be creating accident by following ways :
- Heterogeneity. Semi professional pilots versus weekenders competing on cutting edge technologie for a high level comp doesn't seem like a good idea.
- High expectations : Organisation believing they deal with "the best pilots in the world", and willing to showcase a very high level event with high flying rate.
- Nation représentation and team flying : I would do things for my team mates and for my flag I wouldn't do alone.
- Long comps : more tireness.
- Politics and rules application : Sometimes differing from other Comps.
What would you propose ?
Some of the differences above cannot be fixed easily, but most are linked to the format and sélection process in the world championships. I suggest a refundation toward less heterogeneity, a clear séparation in Team and individual, maybe shortened a bit too etc.
Issue category
Racing format
Cat1
World Championships
5
0
5 votes with an average rating of 1.

Cat 1 organisational framework

By Julien Garcia on
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What went wrong ?
The amount of XC compétition all across the world is booming. There are dozens of very good quality competition organised across the world every years. Yet we are having more and more trouble finding organisers who will bid for CAT1 because the framework is way harder to sustain. The problem is, thoses championship are not better quality wise and from a pilot perspective than any other good event (Bassano, Spanish League, German open...). If there is no additional value, I wonder who benefit theses additional constraint applyed to the organisation ? Where does the money go ?
What would you propose ?
I believe the organisational framework could be polished a little bit so there is less stress applyed on the organisers shoulder. Steward are not mandarory by FAI Laws. Most comps go (much better) without any. 3 jury members on site is a complete overkill. 1 committed juror who is not linked to the top décision of the institution is way enough. The final balance (assets) of CAT1 event should be detailled and public.
Issue category
Governance
Competition format
Cat1
Organisers
2
0
2 votes with an average rating of 1.

Shorter Cat1 event

By Julien Garcia on
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What do we want ?
Cat1 event are 2 weeks long. Many pilots believe it is too much. Overloading the organisers and the pilots, raising unecessary cost.
How do we achieve that ?
Change Section 7 to shorten the duration of the event to 7 task max.
Issue category :
Cat1
duration
Racing format
12
-1
13 votes with an average rating of 0.9.

Comments

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 09:27
Ondřej Pohořelský

I feel like the issue isn't the length of the event, but how many consecutive days we fly or stand on the launch preparing to maybe fly. It feels like there is no proper rest on Cat 1 event, which then translates to many pilots being tired and making stupid mistakes, which wouldn't have happened.
I would rather have 4 100km+ tasks in 8 days then 7 50-70km tasks in 8 days.

4
0
4 votes with an average rating of 1.
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 16:58
Olmo LeĂłn

I agree, maybe to have a maximum of 3 consecutive days.. possibility of longer tasks, more interesting.

0
0
No votes have been submitted yet.
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 10:17
Toni Crottet

I think too, changeing the S7 to have more rest days, this will be easier to achive. This years HG Worlds, we were happy to have that number of days, since the weather was very unstable.

And yes, most pilots in HG love long tasks, where you have to hurry up to make goal cause the day ends.

2
0
2 votes with an average rating of 1.
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 22:05
JD Kugler

HG pilot here !

I'd rather go for more rest days (or less flying days) with longer, more interesting tasks than shorter CAT1 events. This year at the worlds, we flew only 2 tasks between July 18th and July 24th. I think we need those 2 weeks in case the weather is tricky. 3 to 4 consecutive tasks max.

1
0
1 votes with an average rating of 1.
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 22:39
Martin Grössinger

2 weeks is a safety feature, because it allows the organisers only to pick only good weather conditions and have a high chance for a valid competition.

0
0
No votes have been submitted yet.
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 - 05:46
eduardosanchezgranel

Panamericans are already a 7 day event
I agree with reducing the Worlds.
Maybe max. 8 tasks with rest day in the middle.

1
0
1 votes with an average rating of 1.
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 - 06:00
eduardosanchezgranel

In south america, cold fronts tend to have a weekly frequency in the spring and autumn seasons.
So 9 days with a rest day planned (and preferably located in one of this cold pulses), can give a high chance of having at least 5 good days

Other places might have other typical weather patterns to be taken into consideration.

0
0
No votes have been submitted yet.
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 - 17:07
Juan sebastian

It’s already such a massive strain on the pilots to take days away from work and family 2 weeks for Cat1s, 2 weeks for Superfinal plus 2 or 3 weeks more for normal events. Most of us don’t earn a living from competitions. In reality you only need 4 tasks to have a sportive fair event, 8day Cat 1 should be enough!

1
0
1 votes with an average rating of 1.
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 - 20:22
DusanO

Totally agree with shorter overall duration. 7 days with 7 task.
With MINIMUM preparation /ceramony days, etc...!!
It could be from Friday to Sunday. 10 days in total.

1
0
1 votes with an average rating of 1.
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