With 33 nations present or represented and 4 days of very intense work, the 2016 CIVL Plenary was a success with short-term important decisions and long-term considerations.

Minutes, even simplified as we now like them to be, take a long time to be written, approved and published. So we will start reporting here with a series of What’s Up, starting with an overall view of what happened in Lausanne, Switzerland, during the Open meetings (February 18 and 19) and the Plenary (February 20 and 21).

Present: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China (People’s Republic or), Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, FYR Macedonia, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States.

Represented: Canada to USA; Spain to Colombia, Hong Kong to Thailand, Korea to Taipei, Sweden to Denmark, Switzerland to Austria.

Reports... Markus Haggeney, FAI Sport Director, reported on FAI and Stephane Malbos, CIVL President, on CIVL activities. Reports from all Committees and Officers were given. All First Category Events, including the World Air Games, were reviewed. Bureau decisions and financial accounts were approved.

Section 7 has been reorganized. The 2016 Plenary has implemented the new version. Most of the administrative rules are now in a ‘Common’ Section for all disciplines. Most of the operative rules are in specific Sections: joint Paragliding and Hang Gliding XC, Paragliding Accuracy, Paragliding Aerobatic, Records & Badges. A global clean-up was done. Simplification sometimes implied changes, too many to describe here and now. The Plenary amended some of them. Further ‘News’ will be published on the matter. The new Section 7 should now be way easier to use and update.

New CIVL Competition Class requirements for paragliders were approved. Here again a further ‘News’ will be published.

Software issues were discussed. Flytec and Flymaster were present. CIVL Bureau believes we are at a crossroad and that significant investment might be needed to create a new system that will serve better the competition organizers. ‘Small’ Cat 2 are not forgotten. In fact, our efforts should be centred around their needs. Bureau will take its time for analysis before it decides to invest. The new contract with Flytec insures that current problems with FS will be solved, that changes required by the Plenary will be implemented, that CIVL software dreams will be realistic.

Sporting Licences and NAC issues were discussed (SL not easily accessible, SL not always controlled in Cat 2, suspended NACs, de-sanctioned competitions…). FAI Head Office is well aware of the problems and is looking for solutions. The Bureau proposal on the matter was amended. The issue is very complex and far-reaching. There is no easy solution.

The Safety Management System put forward by Raymond Caux was approved. A new way to consider safety issues and to act on them. See our Safety pages here, and the SMS scheme here for more information.

How to ‘feminize’ our sport? Benedicte Saury gave the Plenary some clues. The Bureau agreed to open a dedicated Chapter on our website and a Basecamp Project for daily work..

CIVL Finances have been sliding in the wrong direction for a few years. It is necessary to reverse the tendency if we are to move forward, or at least to balance our budget. Cat 2 sanction fees have been raised significantly to this effect. Bureau analysed that it was the most efficient and less painful way to give us the means of our ambitions and the Plenary agreed.

Internal regulations, jury and steward handbooks… The usual yearly adjustments were made. The new SafePro Delta was approved.

Awards...

• Miguel Gutierrez (Mexico) was nominated for the Hang Gliding Diploma.
• Joszef Szalay (Hungary) was nominated for the Pepe Lopez Medal.
• The French Federation (FFVL) and its Educ’en Ciel program were nominated for the FAI Air Sport Medal.

Championships were awarded:

• 2017 – 20th FAI World Hang Gliding Class 2, Serres, France.
• 2018 – 8th FAI World Hang Gliding Class 5 and 20th FAI European Hang Gliding Class 1, Ager, Spain.
• 2018 – 3rd FAI Pan American Paragliding, Baixo Guandu, Brazil.
• 2018 – 6th FAI European Paragliding Accuracy, Kobarid, Slovenia.
• 2018 – 4th FAI Asian Paragliding Accuracy, Lopburi province, Thailand.
• 2019 – 22nd FAI World Hang Gliding Class 1, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy.

The 2017 Plenary will take place in Salzburg, Austria, on February 2 to 5.

Closing remarks of Stephane Malbos included comments on its first year as President (a lot of work if any issue was to be addressed), on his philosophy of the job (every issue has to be addressed), on the way the Bureau works (never enough, but in a good ambiance with complementary aptitudes), on the way this Plenary went (efficient, but never enough).

Let the good times roll!

Details of the agenda and proposals are found in the Document chapter of this website at Meeting/2016/Plenary.

Additional ‘News’ and Plenary minutes will be published ASAP.