The World Games 2017 opened in spectacular style in the city of Wroclaw, Poland on Thursday night, 20 July 2017, with an opening ceremony of light, sound and music in front of 35,000 people.

President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach formally opened the Games from the centre of the stage in a packed Wroclaw stadium. “Athletes, now is your time to shine!” he said to huge applause.

Held under the patronage of the IOC, The World Games are held every four years, but are for sports or disciplines that are not in the Olympic Games. This year the 10th World Games will feature some 4,000 competitors from 100 nations across 60 different sports and disciplines.

Three air sports are represented: Paramotoring (17 pilots); Glider Aerobatics (11 pilots); and Canopy Piloting (Swooping) (36 skydivers).

The air sports athletes joined their colleagues in the opening ceremony, which saw each country’s athletes and competitors parade through the stadium behind flag bearers, all set to a stunning sound and light show.