75TH PLENARY MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL SKYDIVING COMMISSION
The Annual Plenary Meeting of the International Skydiving Commission (ISC) convened in Rome, Italy from January 28 to February 2, 2025 at the NH Collection Rome Centro Hotel, a perfect venue set in an ideal location. The hosts of this year’s gathering were the Italian Aero Club and their Delegate to the ISC, Mr. Sandro Gargini and his team. They did an extraordinary job of organising logistics and ensuring that everyone felt welcome. Approximately 75 delegates, alternate delegates, observers, FAI representatives and guests from around the globe gathered to discuss advancements and developments in an effort to shape the future of the sport. Topics included competition rule changes for the various disciplines, safety measures, media exposure, future events and new disciplines. A total of 48 nations were represented with 35 delegates attending in person and 13 proxies held.
The schedule for Plenary week is a combination of open meetings, closed committee meetings and the actual plenary. The open meetings are on the first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) where presentations are made and discussions take place. The evenings and Friday morning are reserved for closed committee meetings, and on the Friday afternoon there is often a guided cultural event. The actual plenary meeting is on the Saturday and Sunday morning.
In addition to the usual business, this meeting’s highlights included:
- a presentation about the FAI given by the FAI Secretary General, Markus Haggenay,
- a lengthy discussion about the value of media exposure for ISC,
- the growth of competition skydiving in Asia,
- leadership transitions in the Media Working Group and the Style and Accuracy Landing Committees,
- the need for ISC to support skydiving at the World Games,
- the acknowlegement of the work done this year in reorganising the World and Continenetal Records,
- the establishment of a World Cup Mondial event,
- the approval of budget requests from the Special Reserves Fund.
Three awards were given this year, two people received the ISC Leonardo da Vinci Diploma (Elisabet Mikaelsson from Sweden, and Randy Connell from USA). The most prestigious award, the ISC Gold Parachuting Medal, was presented to Mr. Michael Egger from Austria, a long-time athlete, Delegate, and Committee Chair. The meeting also marked the very exciting establishment of a new skydiving discipline, Indoor Para Skydiving. This is a historical moment for FAI, as this is the first event in FAI that caters specifically to people with Special Needs.
The bulk of the discussions during the plenary meetings revolve around the competition rules. In an effort to provide the best experience possible for the athletes, every year the various discipline Committees review the competitions from that year and receive input from competitors. Each Committee then proposes amendments to the competition rules. These refinements are discussed, sometimes at great length, and are voted upon by the delegates. Upon approval, the Competition rules are updated, with the new edition taking effect on March 1, 2025 for the outdoor events and May 1st for the indoor events. The competition rules can be found on the ISC website, under the tab “documents – competition rules”. https://www.fai.org/isc-documents
Competition is a large part of ISC’s agenda, and every year, bids are received for the upcoming World Cups and World Championships in the various disciplines. At this Plenary Meeting, bids were approved for competitions in the Czech Republic, USA, France and Slovakia for 2025 and 2026. Competitions for 2025 will be held in Austria, Belgium, USA, Czech Republic, Netherlands, and China. To view the calendar of events, please visit the ISC Events site: ISC Events
Beyond official discussions, delegates had the opportunity to explore Rome’s cultural heritage, including an organised visit to the Vatican and the Aero Club of Italy headquarters. Also a farewell dinner was held, and was set in a unique location in a floating restaurant.
Overall, the 75th Plenary Meeting reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to innovation, inclusivity and the ongoing growth of competitive skydiving. Next year’s 76th ISC Plenary meeting will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – see you there.
