Events To Be Held In Copenhagen, Denmark And San Diego, CA

Following the highly successful inaugural Championships in 2017, two FAI Swoop Freestyle World Championships will take place this year.

Both events scheduled for 2018 will be held in easily-accessible urban locations to increase public interest and attendance: Copenhagen, Denmark August 24-25 and San Diego, CA September 14-15t.

Swoop - Freestyle Canopy Piloting - is a high-impact, adrenalin-fuelled discipline, involving parachutists flying at high-speed across a body of water (“the Pond”) to score points based on style and execution. Usually held on airfields - parachute drop zones away from the public eye, the FAI is working with the organizer A. Sports to showcase the new sport.

"The high-adrenalin sport of swoop is growing rapidly in popularity and is a thrilling spectator sport," said FAI President Frits Brink. "Following the success of 2017’s inaugural Swoop Freestyle World Championships, the FAI is delighted to work with A. Sports again to showcase the sport at the two international events in 2018."

"We have a vision for the sport and its future that we are delighted to be realising with FAI," said George Stribling Blythe, CEO of A. Sports, organizers of Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championships. "We are appealing to a new generation of sports consumers, brands, media and hosting cities. For us the sky is no longer the limit.”

The organization of the events will be the responsibility of A. Sports, while the FAI will sanction the competitions and is helping to develop the rules. The agreement was signed in 2017 for an initial three-year period.

Other responsibilities that the FAI and the FAI Parachuting Commission (IPC) will hold include:

• Assisting in the appointment of qualified judges
• Appointing an international jury and jury president
• Provide technical staff
• Helping with scoring and ranking
• Providing advice regarding medals and trophies
• Social media and reporting

18 competitors from 11 countries will attend both events.

(Source: FAI news release. Image provided)

FMI: www.swoopfreestyle.com