On point 39 of the agenda (or at other times), the floor was given for an open discussion.

 

Pros and cons of physical and online Plenary meetings

We need the physical meetings to have the time to get to the bottom of things. Quality, strategy, team building. We cannot do without them.

We need the virtual meetings because we access people that we never see and they become part of the CIVL. Expansion, diversity, pedagogy. We have to learn to do with them.

Why not mixed meetings, both physical and virtual? They may bring serious challenges to the plenary hosts, still they may be unavoidable and CIVL will have to help find solutions.

 

EMS Project

The CIVL. Event Management System project is five-year old, part of the Software CIVL ‘vision’ presented to the FAI in 2016. The FAI failed to deliver what we requested, the Noosphere eNavigator being useless for us. We decided to do it ourselves. A tender was done. We chose Noosphere. The project is near completion. Tests should start in a month or so.

 

Records

CIVL has received suggestions to review all its record scheme, going through records that seems to be outdated and checking processes so we have a way of checking advance notice and airspace restrictions.

 

Asian Development, Paragliding Accuracy and the Airsports Federation of Asia

The AFA was created in 2015, recognised by the FAI in 2016. It has xx members, including countries in Central Asia and Oceania. Last October, the AFA Board contacted the CIVL Bureau so we would help them on a PG Accuracy Asian Cup project. The Bureau thought that the project was worthwhile and in line with CIVL policy to help the development of our sports in Asia, especially in regards to organisers and judges in Accuracy. We worked with the FAI to build what is now called the AFA PG Accuracy League. The League is run a few Cat 2 events in various countries and have a final with pilots selected through the league nations ranking. Aldy Pantaroy (IND) is the League Technical Delegate and Arif Ibrahim (MAS) its Head of Judges. The CIVL will help organise a CIVL Judges Seminar at the appropriate time.

 

Asian Development, Paragliding XC and the PWC Asian Tour

The Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA) and the CIVL developed a XC Asian tour in 2019. The CIVL supported the project. 2020 was supposed to be the real start of it, then the pandemic… Goran Dimiskovki explained: the aim is to educate the people crucially needed in top competitions. First Event and Meet Directors, then scorers, live-tracking managers, etc. It started with the support of Gin and his contacts in China and South Korea and soon other countries were interested. In 2021, we had a competition in Nepal that showed that the concept was good, with an event not only well organised but well attended with, as hoped, the priority given to Asian pilots with just a few top-level ‘outsiders’ to give credibility and true international flavour.

 

Continental Development and the CIVL

Both above projects were initiated by local people, a prerequisite for any successful involvement of the CIVL in continental development. Both projects show that, on the political and associative levels, the credibility of the CIVL is a reality. We have to take this opportunity to help develop the sport as much as we can. It may take some human and financial investment, but it is worth it.

 

Out-of-touch … or not?

The Bureau members and Committee Chairs have again been elected without contest (one nominated per position). It has been like this since 2013. Obviously, successive teams in charge have built trust, but there is always the risk of the ‘leaders’ losing touch with reality. Reality includes non-European nations, especially in Asia and Central/South America, which have been under-represented. Excess of trust can lead to mistakes and we must not forget to doubt.

Should the CIVL make a rule that limits the number of times once can be elected? There are pros and cons. When you find good people, why to get rid of them? But we need fresh blood! But fresh blood is not enough, we need educated blood! Food for thoughts.

Involvement in the CIVL cannot be decreed from the top. Anyone from any nation can get involved in the running of the CIVL at any level. The best place to start getting involved is the Basecamp Projects, all wide open to contributions. The Bureau that we call ‘Extended’ is also open to contributors, currently Committee Chairs and Continental Officers.