Oz Report

With cooperation from the FAI and CIVL

CIVL|Worlds 2020

https://www.fai.org/news/world-hang-gliding-class-1-women-2-5-and-sport-suspended

Due to the coronavirus threat, in agreement with the CIVL and FAI, the organisers of the World Hang-Gliding Class 1 Women, 2, 5 and Sport championships have suspended the event that was to take part in Groveland, USA, from April 19 to May 1.

Alternative solutions are being studied. The most likely is a one-year postponement. The event would then take place in April 2021. The organisers and the CIVL will keep you informed of the decision taken as soon as possible.

We extend our regrets to the pilots and organisers regarding this unfortunate situation and the impact on the planned event.

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Likely until next year

Worlds 2020|CIVL|FAI

It is unofficial at this moment. We are awaiting the official word from CIVL and the FAI.

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55 Sport Class Pilots Registered for the 2020 Worlds

There were only 31 sport class pilots at the last Worlds in 2014 in France

Worlds 2020

The Sport Class World Championships are already a great success with enthusiasm very high for the April competition. We already have way more sport class pilots sign up to fly in their World Champion than flew in the 1^st Sport Class World Championship in 2014. Maybe the fact that we won't be having any ringers has made a difference.

You do not have to be on your National team to fly in the World Championships. I keep having to point this out to pilots. There won't be team scoring for the women, most likely. There isn't team scoring for the Swift pilots. I'll wager that there won't be any for the ATOSes either, but maybe. The only point of a National team is to have team scoring. It has nothing to do with how well you do as an individual pilot.

We have twenty two sport class pilots signed up from the US. The National team size will probably be four or five with three scoring each day.

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

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Dotards Class

Up for approval by the USHPA BOD

Masters class|Pan-Americans 2020|Paradise Airsports Nationals 2020|PG|Reynolds class|Senior class|Sport Class|USHPA|Wilotree Nationals 2020|Worlds 2020

<comunications> sends:

The competition committee voted to recommend approval of the creation of two new classes for cross country competition. For paragliding and hang gliding, the "Masters" class will be for pilots age 55 and older. And just for paragliding, the "Reynolds" class will be for pilots whose all-up flying weight is 95kg and below. Both of these categories will be scored in any nationals competition, and a national champion will be awarded for the category.

We'll have a Masters class at the 2020 Paradise Airsports Nationals and 2020 Wilotree Nationals ( http://ozreport.com/Ourcompetitions.php) although not at the 2020 Worlds and 2020 Pan-American Championships (which are not Nationals competitions).

We will also have a "Senior" class in the Sport Class at 2020 Paradise Airsports Nationals and at the 2020 Pan-Americans. Pilots over 60. Kingposted gliders, of course.

2020 Worlds

The women pilots

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/pilots

Six women from four counties have signed up for the 2020 Women's World Hang Gliding Championship. Three from Russia. When two more women sign up we will have enough women pilots to have a valid Women's Worlds.

Forty three pilots have registered already. Pilots need to register as soon as possible so that we can check their qualifications and get ready for the allocation which will happen January 20^th. No need to pay yet. No waivers required yet.

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2020 Worlds - don't need to pay now

Also don't need to sign any waivers or the medical info form yet

USHPA|Worlds 2020

We are only registering pilots how (although three have already paid their entry fee). Unlike in our previous competitions (Category 2) we do not ask for entry fee payment or for you to fill out waivers and the medical information form in order to get confirmed. Confirmation will happen soon after January 19^th, 2020. You will all very likely get confirmed (if you pay then).

We will have waivers and the medical information form up on line so that you can fill them out on your computer if you wish and print them out and bring them to check in, in order to save you time later. The USHPA requires paper documents so we have gone back to paper, but you can still download the PDF documents (after we put them back on-line) and more easily fill them out at home first.

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Some of the pilots who should come to the 2020 World Championships

Sport Class|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

Discuss "Sport Class WPRS ranking" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

2020 Worlds - pilots signing up

Sport Class pilots are very eager to come to the World Championships

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/pilots

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2020 Worlds - registration opens on Monday

Individuals should start registering now.

CIVL|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Mitch Shipley|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

CIVL|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

CIVL|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

Based on a phone discussion with our meet steward and CIVL official, Mitch Shipley, who saw no reason for us to wait for CIVL (and Mitch) to figure out what to do about sport class eligibility, we are opening up the Worlds web site for registration. Assume that the sport class eligibility criteria will stand as written until there is a change, which we will announce. We are pretty sure that the requirement for WPRS Sport Class points as of August 31^st, 2019 will stand.

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CIVL is trying to deal with the restrictions on Sport Class

CIVL|Davis Straub|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Mitch Shipley|USHPA|Wilotree Park|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020|Zac Majors

CIVL|Davis Straub|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|USHPA|Wilotree Park|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020|Zac Majors

CIVL|Davis Straub|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|USHPA|Wilotree Park|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020|Zac Majors

We submitted a proposal to the CIVL Bureau for a combined World Championships last year. It was approved by the CIVL Bureau and the Plenary. It included the following restriction on who could fly in the sport class:

"Pilots must not have been listed in the top twenty US pilots since January 2008 for entry into sport class. Pilots must not have finished in the top 2/3^rd’s of a non-Sport Class Category 1 competition held since January 2014, for entry into sport class.

"(Note from Sport Code 7: 2. 2.3 Other Criteria

If a competition organiser wishes to set stricter criteria, these must be declared with the bid for the event. Any other qualifying criteria must be included in the approved Local Regulations.)"

Here is what Stef, the CIVL President, wrote at the time that the Bureau accepted our bid:

Dear Markus and Christine,

Please find attached 2 zipped file for 2 bids that have been accepted by CIVL Bureau. Can you prepare the Organiser Agreement accordingly?

Davis Straub, the organiser, is in copy.

Best regards,

Stephane

Later when the CIVL Plenary met they also accepted the bid.

When creating the bid and the local rules I met repeatedly with Mitch Shipley who will be our meet steward. Mitch has a trailer at Wilotree Park near ours so I used his advice extensively in preparing the bid and local rules as well at the Risk Management Plan and the Tow Device Supplemental Application for the USHPA. Mitch in addition to being a meet steward is a CIVL official as well as a USHPA official.

Mitch was concerned about his ability to do all the checking (back to 2008) to determine eligibility for the Sport Class. We continued talking about how we could address that issue to accomplish the same goal of keeping open class topless pilots from registering for the Sport Class World Championships.

I edited the latest version of the proposed local rules (CIVL has to give its final approval and I have to send them to them eight months in advance which I have done).

Sport Class pilots will be restricted to those who have WPRS Sport Class points: http://civlrankings.fai.org/?a=326&ladder_id=9&. At the moment that is 329 pilots. Also, open class pilots will not qualify. Here's the current rule in the local rules:

Sport Class Pilots must not have finished in the top 2/3^rd's of a non-Sport Class Category 1 competition held since January 2014, for entry into sport class. Pilots must have WPRS sport class points.

I sent a note on Saturday to Mitch to add the words: "on August 31, 2019" after the word points in the last sentence.

This edit was made to make it easier for Mitch to determine eligibility having only to check 329 pilots (those who have WPRS sport class points).

Only pilots with WPRS points as of August 31^st, 2019 would qualify, and this would likely disqualify the following open class pilots who have sport class WPRS points:

Daniel Valez
Rudy Gotes
Zac Majors
Felix Cantesanu
Wolfgang Siess

Carlos Rolando Alvarado flew in the 2019 Open Class World Championships, but finished 119^th. He is ranked number 1 in Sport Class. Felix finished 74^th, which puts him in the top 2/3^rd's. I don't know Rudy's status. Daniel finished 20^th.

I've had recent discussions with Stef and others about the criteria. Stef writes:

I’ve re-read your bid. It is very clear on eligibility criteria for Sport.

As it happens, per FAI General Section of the Sporting Code, the bid is part of the rules. The bid has been reviewed by the HG Committee and accepted by the plenary. The bid’s criteria are not in contradiction with Section 7 so, really, there is not much to discuss.

But there is probably a bit for education. So please integrate the HG Committee’s discussion and be nice and convincing and we can have a wonderful competition.

Best,
Stef

Our goal with these criteria for entry into the sport class was to eliminate the possibility of an actual open class pilot entering the sport class. We did not want to see repeated what happened at the last Sport Class Worlds where open class pilots dominated. We have been very clear about this from the beginning that we would not run a World Championship if this was allowed to happen. That is what the Bureau and the Plenary accepted when they accepted our bid, as Stef makes perfectly clear.

We are now awaiting approval of the sport class eligibility criteria from CIVL.

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2020 Worlds - registration opens on Sunday

Individuals should start registering then.

CIVL|Manfred Ruhmer|Wilotree Park|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

Registration is open on Sunday, September 1^st (probably around 9 AM Mountain Daylight Time or sooner - not Australian time and day but maybe Venice).

We are in discussions with CIVL (president and hang gliding committee) as to how fairly to distribute the slots among the Sport Class, Women's, ATOS (Class 5), and Swift (Class 2) Classes. It will depend on who signs up and the first allocation on January 19^th. We expect that there will be lots of slots available for Sport Class pilots (as the biggest group).

Sport Class pilots will be restricted to those who have WPRS Sport Class points: http://civlrankings.fai.org/?a=326&ladder_id=9&. At the moment that is 329 pilots. Also, open class pilots will not qualify. Here's the current rule in the local rules:

Sport Class Pilots must not have finished in the top 2/3^rd's of a non- Sport Class Category 1 competition held since January 2014, for entry into sport class. Pilots must have WPRS sport class points.

We say current rule because we are in discussions with CIVL about the exact wording in the local rules. You can download the local rules from the link above. You'll find additional eligibility requirements there.

This is an aerotowing competition. If you do not have aerotowing skills you need to get them or come a week early and get signed off by our instructors.

We are especially encouraging women to come to this Women's Worlds. There hasn't been a Women's World Championship in a while and this is an opportunity to become the Women's World Champion.

We've held a Class 5 World Championship at Wilotree Park previously and pilots had a great time flying in Florida. We hope to see them return to a favorite venue.

Will Manfred and others from Europe show up in their Swifts? We have a good number of US pilots flying Swifts and we look forward to their participation.

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2020 World's Registration opens Sunday, September 1^st

Women's, Sport Class, Rigid Wing, and Swift classes

FAI|Sport Class|Swift|USHPA|Worlds 2020

2^nd FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Sport Class, 14^th FAI Women’s World Hang Gliding Championships, 9^th FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 5, and 21^st FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 2.

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

Sunday is the time to register for the World Championships. The World's web site will open on Sunday, September 1^st. The first determination of who is accepted as coming to the Worlds will be January 19^th, 2020. The competition starts Sunday, April 19^th, 2020.

Lots of room, especially for sport class pilots. The USHPA (for US pilots) and other hang gliding associations, for other countries, will determine who is on the national team using whatever procedures they have and will notify us. Go ahead and register individually. Download the local rules.

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They are not just for national team members

calendar|CIVL|Pan-Americans 2020|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

You too can come and fly (and perhaps win the World Championships or Pan-American Championships). The competitions do not just include the National team members. You don't have to qualify for your national team to meet the qualifications to join the competitions and go for the gold (you just don't score for the national team).

The Pan-Americans is a combination of the Pan-American Championships (Category 1) for Open Class 1 pilots and the Pan-Americans (Category 2) for Sport Class, Rigid Class, and Swift Class pilots.

https://airtribune.com/2020-pan-american-championships/info/details__info

The local rules:

The maximum number of pilots in the combined competitions is 125. The maximum number of pilots in the 2020 Pan-Americans is 40.

The maximum number of pilots that may be entered by a NAC in the 1^st FAI Class 1 Pan-American Hang Gliding Championships is 55 total and 50 of one gender.

The maximum number of pilots constituting in the 1^st FAI Class 1 Pan-American Hang Gliding Championships a national team is 8 total and 6 of one gender with the top 3 scoring for each day.

So, you see, any one nation can register up to 55 pilots for the Pan American Championship. They may not all get in, but there really is no restriction requiring you to be a national team member. The requirements for the Pan American Championship (but not for the Pan-Americans) are:

In the 36 months before May 1^st, 2020, which is 3 calendar months before the championship starts, a pilot has to have:

Been ranked with at least 20 WPRS points in Hang Gliding Class 1

Participated in one or more FAI sanctioned competitions with at least 30 pilots.

The World Championships (Women's, Sport Class, Rigid Class, and Swift Class) are similarly organized. We will very likely have a CIVL category 2 open class 1 competition happening just before the Worlds (like we usually have in Florida in the Spring).

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

The local rules:

The maximum number of pilots in all the championships combined is 120.

The maximum number of pilots that may be entered by a NAC in the 14^th Women’s World Championship is 5 total.

The maximum number of pilots constituting in the 14^th Women’s World Championship a national team is 3 total with the top 2 scoring for each day.

The maximum number of pilots that may be entered by a NAC in the 2^nd FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Sport Class 45 total and 40 of one gender.

The maximum number of pilots constituting in the 2^nd FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Sport Class a national team is 8 total and 6 of one gender with the top 3 scoring for each day.

The maximum number of pilots that may be entered by a NAC in the 9^th FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 5 is 12 total and 10 of one gender.

The maximum number of pilots constituting in the 9^th FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 5 a national team is 8 total and 6 of one gender with the top 3 scoring for each day.

The maximum number of pilots that may be entered by a NAC in the 21^st FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 2 is 6 total and 5 of one gender.

The maximum number of pilots constituting in the 21^st FAI World Hang Gliding Championships Class 2 a national team is 5 total and 3 of one gender with the top 2 scoring for each day.

So you can see that there is plenty of room especially for Sport Class pilots, 45 can register. You do not have to be a member of your Sport Class National Team.

The eligibility requirements for the Worlds depend on the pilot's class, CIVL eligibility rules (see class 1 rules above) and the local rules. The local rules can be found at the World's web site linked to above.

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The 2020 Worlds

Worlds 2020

http://www.fourcornersnewsleader.com/2020-hang-gliding-world-championships-coming-to-central-florida/

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Listed

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pan-Americans 2020|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Wilotree Park XC 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

On Airtribune (where you register):

2019 Wilotree Park Cross Country

2019 Cross Country 101 Clinic details

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 1) (pre-Worlds) details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) details

2019 Big Spring Nationals (Pre-Pan-Americans) details

2020 World Championships details

1^st Pan-American Championships and 2020 Pan-Americans details

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ozreport/events/

Listed in every issue

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pan-Americans 2020|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Wilotree Park XC 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

2019 Wilotree Park Cross Country

2019 Cross Country 101 Clinic details

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassicdetails

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 1) (pre-Worlds) details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) details

2019 Big Spring Nationals (pre-Pan-Americans) details

2020 World Championships details

1^st Pan-American Championships and 2020 Pan-Americans details

Oz Report events on Facebook

The Worlds and Pan-Americans web sites are up

Much work yet to be done on them.

Facebook|internet|Pan-Americans 2020|Worlds 2020

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

https://www.facebook.com/events/251541222182589/

https://airtribune.com/2020-pan-american-championships/info/details__info

https://www.facebook.com/events/278017162856501/

You can't register yet. Many files are not yet uploaded. Payments and schedules are not any where near ready for prime time.

As listed on Facebook

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ozreport/events/

FAI listing of 2020 Championships

The FAI web site is hard to navigate

FAI|Pan-Americans 2020|Worlds 2020

The listing is found here.

Pan-Americans are actually August 2^nd through the 14^th.

Worlds are April 19^th through May 1^st.

One combined competition in Big Spring in 2020

CIVL|Pan-Americans 2020|Quest Air|Wilotree Park|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Worlds 2020

We applied for the 2020 Worlds for Class 1 Women, Sport Class, Class 2, and Class 5 at Wilotree Park, in Groveland, Florida.

We also applied for the 2020 Pan-Americans for Class 1, Women, Sport, Class 2 and Class 5.

Both meets are Category 1 competitions.

We could not apply for Class 1 Worlds as that would take place in 2021 and we understand that Macedonia is the likely place for it.

We got the Worlds for all the classes that we asked for at Wilotree Park. There is no Class 1 Worlds (except for Women only) at Wilotree Park in 2020. We will discuss with class 1 pilots in 2019 at the Quest Air Nationals what they want for 2020.

There will be multiple competitions in the Spring at Wilotree Park including the test competition for the Worlds. We will provide more information about these competitions soon.

Because we got the Worlds for all these classes (but didn't apply for Class 1) CIVL felt that they shouldn't give us another Category 1 competition designation for the classes other than Class 1 at Big Spring. There is no rule against have two Category 1 competitions in the same year, but CIVL felt that one competition might draw pilots from the other competition and there should be a focus. For example, this is the second Sport Class Worlds, and they wanted Sport Class pilots to come to the Worlds as their first choice. We figure , why not given them the option to come to both competitions, which, of course, we do.

All CIVL has is titles. Category 1 and Category 2 competitions have exactly the same value when it comes to WPRS (World) points.

CIVL agreed to let us run all the classes together at Big Spring. And that is exactly what we will do.

Class 1 will be designated as the 1^st Pan-American Class 1 Championships. All the other classes will be part of the 2020 Big Spring Nationals.

The competition will be run as one competition. Unlike previous Big Spring Nationals it will take place between August 2^nd and 14^th, i.e. 13 days.

Again, we will treat it as one competition.

The 2019 Big Spring Nationals will be the test competition for the 2020 Pan-Americans.

We have been communicating with Carlos Alvarado Stuhlhofer of the Guatemalan team. He wants the Pan-American Title also for the Sport Class in Big Spring, as well as for the Worlds in Groveland. He will appeal directly to the CIVL Bureau.

We have also written to the CIVL Bureau as follows:

Carlos says that Guatemala will be at the Worlds also. I‘m thinking at least Canada and Mexico also and them also at the Pan-Americans Sport Class.

What’s going on here I think is that the American countries are taking pride in the Pan-Americans. They want their own Continental Championships, something that maybe the Bureau overlooked, but was certainly a factor in why we proposed the Pan-Americans. Again we were responding to requests from pilots to put these two meets on, it was not something that we initiated.

There is also a big issue with Guatemala, Mexico and Canada, at least, having their top teams as Sport Class teams. They want to have a Pan-American venue for their teams. This is something that CIVL hasn’t really run into before.

We just came along to try to help them out. They’ve always been excited about competitions in Big Spring as well as Florida. Gateways to the Americas.

Is there really a problem with two category 1 Sport Class competitions in 2020? I’m thinking that there isn’t.

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Likely to be approved by the CIVL Bureau

CIVL|Jamie Shelden|Worlds 2020

After a brief discussion with CIVL Bureau member Jamie Shelden Saturday afternoon, it appears that we are more than likely to have our edited bids approved by the CIVL Bureau for these championships. We have submitted the edited bids to Jamie for circulation among the Bureau members. Jamie will also take our proposal for restrictions on pilot eligibility to the Sport Class Worlds to the Plenary in February.

https://OzReport.com/docs/2020panam_trackingchanges.pdf

https://OzReport.com/docs/2020worlds_trackingchanges.pdf

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