The 2021 CIVL Plenary took place online from February 1 to 7 on Zoom platform, two hours a day. It was very efficient, thanks to the extensive preparatory work on CIVL Basecamp space: hundreds of exchanges.

Some 90+ people from 40+ nations participated in the Open meetings and official Sessions. We had the usual 40 points on the agenda: reports, proposals, bids, elections and inspiring (!) speeches.

In these unusual times, there were few proposals and fewer that passed, mainly adjustments to current rules.

Bids for the 2023 World Championships were all successful:

• Paragliding XC in Andradas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Paragliding Accuracy in Sopot, Bulgaria
• Hang Gliding in Àger, Spain

The plenary agreed that if any 2021 World Championship is cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organiser will be offered to organise the 2023 championships and, if they accept, the above successful bids will be cancelled.

At election time there was no surprise: one nominee per position. By general consent, are now in charge

• President. Stephane Malbos
• Vice presidents: Goran Dimikovski, Igor Erzen, Jamie Shelden, Zeljko Ovuka
• Administrative Secretary: Andy Cowley
• Financial Secretary: William Hughes
• Hang Gliding Committee Chair: Jamie Shelden
• Paragliding XC Committee Chair: Goran Dimikovski
• Paragliding Accuracy Committee Chair: Martin Jovanovski
• Paragliding Aerobatic Committee Chair: Claudio Cattaneo

 

Annexes, Open meetings ‘record of discussions’ and minutes (when they will be ready) are available on the cloud https://cloud.fai.org/s/bwaqrHi5XDbnKqY

Plenary 2021 page and also in the Document chapter of the CIVL website.

We will report underlining some key points, starting today with – why not – the ‘new’ President closing remarks.

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Stephane Malbos, President for a new 2-year term, looked back at six years of Plenary reports, six years of achievements, and tried to analyse…

"CIVL has kept working efficiently on rules, software and competitions: the chore of what the CIVL has done and done well for 45 years now. So many volunteers must be thanked!

We led some exceptional projects successfully: the CIVL Competition Class (CCC) paragliders, the Application and Event Management Systems (AMS and EMS), the move from FS to AirScore.

We invested in equipment: live-trackers, accuracy target.

We implemented a new system of distribution of the IPPI Card, where all pilots are systematically rated on their national licences: 21 nations have adopted it.

And last but not least, we hired an administrator whose role has been central in the recent development and running of the CIVL, as she overlooks with talent our events, software and communication.

The CIVL involvement in the ‘higher’ level of the FAI has too often been a struggle, mainly related to special events projects on which we had little control. We got involved, sometimes with enthusiasm, but the end result was globally disappointing. Nevertheless, such involvement must be kept strong, because the FAI is our family and our family is what we make it. Be active, tell the truth, be open to any new project, deliver when asked to. Because that’s what we do, we are respected.

All this was possible because we don’t rely on luck, but on the hard work of so many, but on our 300+ yearly competitions. The money that these events bring is deemed to be returned in a way or another to the ones that gave it: the pilots and the organisers. This is why, every day, we try to be more of service, more professional.

These past six years, we have learned

• To work within the system at all level: General Conference, Executive Board, Secretariat, CASI, Commission Presidents Group, CIVL Committees and Working Groups.
• To be transparent, to be cautious, to discuss everything. Basecamp here plays a crucial role with 70+ people involved, hundreds of discussions, thousands of exchanges.
• To be open to anything, but…
• To rely on our own forces

I will conclude this plenary like I concluded many others: we fail when we don’t work enough. So back to work! "

More on the subject

The second report on CIVL Plenary 2021

Plenary Minutes, Records of meetings and Attendance