Event Returns to China For Four Days of High-Speed Competition

The 2024 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Drone Racing Championship has kicked off in Hangzhou, China. The event runs from October 31 to November 3.

The FAI chose the Aero Sports Federation of China (ASFC), supported by the National Sports Group, to host the 2024 event. Teams arrived on site on October 29 and were able to check in on October 30. The opening ceremony commenced on October 31.

The 2024 FAI World Drone Racing Championship course was constructed in Hangzhou's Shangcheng District Sports Centre. It features a 600 meter track with 43 gates and 12 L-shaped obstacles. The design took inspiration from local culture, including the Qiantang River and the historic Hang Zhou Bagua Tian royal land.

This year’s 111 racers, traveling from 32 different nations, are competing for the Overall Individual, Junior, Women, and National Team titles. They will race in several heats at speeds upwards of 160 km/h (around 100 mph), using a first-person view (FPV) headset to navigate the course.

“In this sport, the stakes are high, and fortunes can change in the blink of an eye,” commented Antonis Papadopoulos, President of the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM). “Ultimately, it all comes down to the pilot's capacity to maintain peak concentration, leverage their skills, and draw upon their experience.”

The competition has been held in China twice before: the 2018 debut in Shenzhen and the following 2019 event in Ningbo. FAI called off the 2020, 2021, and 2022 events due to Covid, then resumed operations in Korea.

From October 6 to 9, 2023, Korea’s Namwon Sports Town complex saw 120 of the world's best drone pilots from 30 countries compete. The host country won gold, followed close behind by the US, with Japan earning bronze.

“We have no doubt that the Aero Sports Federation of China and the National Sports Group will be pulling out all the stops to deliver an incredible championship for both the fans and the participants,” Papadopoulos continued.

FMI: www.fai.org