The following four key-words describe the main values of the World Air Games :
FASCINATION
QUALITY
DIVERSITY
ATTRACTIVENESS
The FAI has five primary goals for the World Air Games :
Based on these goals, the World Air Games have been designed to be the marquee event for the FAI and everyone involved in air sport. This means that the very best athletes compete against one another for the highest award in air sport : The title of “World Air Games Champion”.
There are many different ways to be involved in the World Air Games; here are some examples :
As an active member of the FAI Community …
(FAI Vice President, Delegate, Bureau Member of a FAI Commission, Judge, Jury Member, etc.)
… You may contribute to the success of the World Air Games by, for example, promoting the Games in your country, encouraging athletes to participate in international events, applying for an official function or as a volunteer at one of the next World Air Games.
As an active air sport athlete …
… You are encouraged to make further progress and improve your performance in order to reach the highest competitive level and have a chance to be selected for future World Air Games.
As an experienced event organiser …
… You are encouraged to assess whether your city or region would meet the requirements to host the World Air Games, to evaluate how the World Air Games might contribute to the promotion of your city or region, and to consider placing a bid for a future event.
As a company looking for additional media and public exposure …
… You are invited to contact the FAI for information about becoming an FAI partner, or to contact the Organising Committee of future World Air Games for information on sponsorship opportunities.
As an air sport enthusiast …
… We invite you to visit official World Air Games Websites, to apply to join the team of volunteers, especially if the Games are held near where you live, or to buy tickets or packages offered by the organisers to attend future World Air Games.
The sports program of the World Air Games is open to all air sports governed by FAI.
Within the framework of FAI, each air sport has an International Commission. For each edition of the World Air Games, the FAI Air Sport Commissions are responsible for developing the competitive events (disciplines) they would like to include in the program. The sports program consist of “traditional” disciplines used at FAI Championships, or of completely new disciplines especially developed for the World Air Games.
At the beginning of a bidding process for hosting the World Air Games, the FAI publishes a list of sports and disciplines available for inclusion in the program. Depending on facilities, resources, topographical and meteorological situation, bidders may propose to expand and/or adjust the program during the bid process. The final program is subject to approval by FAI and its Air Sport Commissions.
Within the framework of FAI, each air sport has an International Commission.
All FAI-sanctioned contests, championships and world records are conducted under the direction of the FAI Air Sport Commissions; they are therefore also responsible for developing the rules for the competitions included in the program of the World Air Games.
Once available, the rules for each event are made available on Internet.
The athletes invited to compete at the World Air Games are those who achieve the best results in the preceding years. Participation in the World Air Games is therefore a public recognition of these athletes’ achievements and efforts to reach the highest competitive level.
When receiving their special Gold, Silver or Bronze World Air Games medals, these super-champions obtain the highest and most prestigious title awarded by the FAI for international competition, and thus “crown” their sporting career as air sport athletes.
Apart from “crowning” an athlete’s sporting career and giving international recognition to a nation’s efforts to promote and encourage the training of elite competitors, the awarding of “World Air Games Champion” titles will also contribute towards improving the national and international media exposure that air sports need in order to develop further.
Participation in the World Air Games is by invitation only.
Athletes are invited by the respective Air Sport Commissions on the basis of International Ranking Lists and/or previous championship results. Each athlete is approved by the FAI Member in his respective country.
The method of selection is determined by the respective Air Sport Commissions and is part of the FAI World Air Games Rules. Only the very best athletes in each air sport will be invited to the World Air Games. However, the selection process will also ensure that as many countries as possible will be represented, including a representative of the host nation.
FAI is the exclusive owner of the rights to the World Air Games.
FAI entrusts the organisation of the Games to a Local Organising Committee (LOC), which may consist of any one of or combination of a FAI Member Association, a city, region, private event organiser or commercial body.
The LOC organises the World Air Games in close cooperation with FAI Headquarters. Sporting authority over the Games is exercised by the FAI Active Member in the country where the event takes place, as for any other FAI event.
Future organiser of the World Air Games will be selected through a two-phase bidding process. Every World Air Games bidder is encouraged to develop visionary proposals to further enhance the scope, presentation and marketing of the World Air Games.
Phase 1 is to familiarise FAI with each World Air Games bidder, to determine their motivation for hosting the World Air Games and to identify their proposed venues, dates and tentative program. The FAI Executive Board will evaluate each bid and may eliminate bids that are not in line with the World Air Games framework, or bidders whose qualifications do not fulfil FAI’s criteria.
Phase 2 of the bidding process consists of the submission of the official, binding bid book containing the proposed organisational structure, a refined World Air Games program, a business and media plan, a marketing plan, etc.
The evaluation of the bids consists of a detailed analysis of the bid books submitted by the bidders, site inspections by FAI Experts and meetings with bidders on how specific elements of the bids should be improved.
Based on the bid books, on-site inspections, evaluation reports by FAI Experts and final presentations of the bids at the Host Selection Event, the FAI Selection Committee will determine by secret ballot vote who will be awarded the hosting rights of the next World Air Games.
At the beginning of each phase of the bidding process, the FAI will provide the necessary guidelines, technical requirements and instructions on how to prepare the bid documents.
Founded in 1905 upon the recommendation by the Olympic Congress, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) brings together at the international level representatives of all air sports from some 100 member countries. From its Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, the FAI aims at promoting and developing air sports in a spirit of friendship and cooperation to the benefit of all athletes practising these sports around the world.
Consistent with this aim, the FAI, in the mid-nineteen-eighties, started developing the concept of an “Olympiad” for its air sports : The World Air Games.
After two editions of the World Air Games, FAI decided that the initial concept used in 1997 (Turkey) and 2001 (Spain) was unlikely to allow the goals set for the World Air Games to be achieved.
In close cooperation with air sports specialists and consultants in sports marketing, a new concept was developed, giving priority to quality over quantity : Fewer venues closer together; fewer athletes but the best of the best; shorter but innovative and more attractive competitions are some of the keywords of the concept for the 3rd World Air Games in Turin (Italy) in 2009.
The following pages contain additional information on the World Air Games historical background and on the 2nd World Air Games. Please note that those pages are not updated any longer.