Originally Scheduled For France, Pandemic Issues Have Necessitated Changes

The 17th FAI World Paragliding XC Championships was supposed to take part in France, starting May 20 -- however, it was cancelled on March 12.

Soon after, the CIVL Bureau (FAI's Hang Gliding And Paragliding Commission) received a proposal from Loma Bola, Argentina, to organise the championship in November.

The Bureau decided that looking for an alternative to the cancelled event was worthwhile. It made the idea public. The CIVL Bureau then received proposals from Governador Valadores, Brazil, and Roldanillo, Colombia.

• The Brazilian proposal was not accepted on the ground that the overall pandemic situation in Brazil will likely continue to be a major concern. Therefore, the Bureau felt that the probability of a hypothetical better situation in Brazil did not allow it to take the proposal into further consideration, despite its merit.
• The Colombian proposal was not accepted on the ground that it was missing too many key elements, starting with a complete experienced organisation team that could be trusted for such an event. The weather statistics and pandemic situation were also taken into account.
• The Argentinian proposal turned into a proper bid that was discussed by the delegates and PG XC Committee. The light flying conditions were reportedly the only point questioned.

  

The CIVL Bureau notes that a World Championships in light flying conditions is better than no championships. It trusts that in the end, as always, the best pilots will prevail. The venue and the organising team are well known, have already organised a Cat 1, and can apparently be trusted.

Hence, the CIVL Bureau has taken the decision to award the 17th FAI World Paragliding XC Championships to Loma Bola, Argentina. It will take part from October 31 to November 13, 2021. Early arrivals will be encouraged as supervised training days will be organised on October 28 to 30.

FMI: www.fai.org, www.fai.org/sites/default/files/civl/documents/bid_17th_wpc_tucuman_argentina2021.pdf