PWCA Annual Committee Meeting – Key Updates and Future Direction
- Jan 19 2026
Dear Members of the Paragliding World Cup,
Over the past seasons, the Paragliding World Cup has continued to grow in scale, visibility, and the variety of locations. With that growth comes a serious obligation: to ensure that our competitions meet the highest possible standards of sporting fairness, safety, and professionalism, while remaining faithful to the spirit of our community, as maintained in the 34 years of PWCA history.
This message is intended to inform you transparently about the primary outcomes of the 2025 PWCA Annual Committee Meeting (ACM), to outline the key decisions for the continuation of the 2025 and 2026 competition season, and, just as importantly, to explain how your feedback will directly influence the next steps.
Many of the topics discussed during the ACM did not originate within the Committee alone. They reflect:Expressed concerns raised by some of the members over the recent season,Increasing expectations regarding safety and medical services and their ability to respond accordingly,The operational reality of organizing World Cup-level events across very different regions, service availability, and local infrastructure,And evolving international standards within paragliding sport.Our objective is not just to react, but to address real risks, close existing gaps, and protect pilots, organizers, and the Association in an increasingly demanding competition environment.
Safety and medical standards – a clear priority
The Committee agreed that safety and medical response must be strengthened, particularly in regions where local standards are insufficient for the level of risk inherent to World Cup competition.Key points:Medical support provided by local organizers remains mandatory.In specific cases, PWCA will provide additional medical expertise in the form of a dedicated medical crew supporting the local capacities. It is related to the venue’s location, infrastructure, national standards, local behaviour model, and legal framework, nevertheless.At these venues, registered pilots will be informed in advance and in detail about the safety concept and medical standards. Registered pilots will have the opportunity to withdraw after receiving this information, and before making a financial commitment to join that event.This approach will be evaluated after the first implementation, including legal, operational, and financial aspects. The goal is to develop a dynamic system that is adaptable to many different scenarios.
A structured member survey will follow (already prepared), allowing pilots to express their priorities and their willingness to support different levels of medical coverage financially.
No long-term model will be imposed without consultation with the PWCA’s membership.
Governance, roles, and professionalism
Several structural decisions were taken to improve transparency, fairness, and workload distribution:
Separation of the roles of sportive supervision, Technical Delegate (TD), from the organizational supervision, Event Manager (EM), when possible, applicable, and feasible. Creation of a wider Technical Delegate (TD) pool, with clearly defined responsibilities and procedures. In the first season to be populated by the Committee members with the intention to widen to interested members in the future.With the new definition of the role, the Technical Delegate has the duty to verify that all procedures, tasks, and decisions comply fully with the rules. Still, it is no longer part of the Task Committee. This is essential to preserve the integrity of the TD, particularly in the event of complaints or protests related to the task setting itself.Publication of event officials set up, including TD for the event in question, in advance of registration for the event.Introduction of precise procedures for handling unsportive or disrespectful behaviour, to protect both event officials, staff, and pilots, and to ensure consistent, fair treatment.
These measures are intended to strengthen institutional credibility and reduce personal tensions that have emerged in recent years.
Sporting rules and technical evolution (season 22025/2026)
For the forthcoming events, the following applies:Line trim tolerance: From the India World Cup onward, starting in February 2026, the allowable tolerance for relative line length is reduced to ±10 mm. This change is aimed at improving safety, fairness, and consistency. It will be reflected in the updated rules published before the event starts.Satellite trackers: mandatory for the Superfinal 2025, Spain in May 2026, and compulsory for all future World Cups in the seasons to come.Task design principles: introduction of an existing task catalogue or predefined tasks for the location and specific weather conditions.Equalizers and ballast rules: as this is a concern for the entire paragliding community, wait for the CIVL decisions in March 2026. To be analysed and, if acceptable, to be introduced synchronously with the Cat 1s implementation.If CIVL does not act, PWCA will take its own decision, with equalizers potentially introduced in 2026 and the updated ballast rule addressed with the introduction of the rule book for season 2027.
Pilots will be informed in time, with precise communication, before registrations open for the event, of any changes that might occur. As the Indian registration process is well advanced, this communication principle applies from the World Cup in Brazil, to be held in April 2026.
Application of non-sportive behaviour rules – PWC Macedonia 2025
In the interest of transparency and consistency in the application of PWCA rules, the Committee wishes to inform the membership of a disciplinary decision taken following an incident during the Paragliding World Cup event in Macedonia in July 2025.
Based on video evidence, the Committee established that a pilot deliberately threw his flight tracker over the goal line and then ran over it to validate a goal. This conduct was determined to constitute non-sportive behaviour, as defined by PWCA rules.
After review during the December 2025 Committee meeting, and in accordance with the applicable rules, the Committee decided to apply the following sanction, which has been formally communicated to the pilot concerned:
Suspension from participation in all PWCA-sanctioned competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season, including the Superfinal in May 2026. Charging the pilot for the cost of the damage, logistical, and all related costs.
The established appeal procedure was communicated to the pilot in accordance with PWCA rules.
Member communication, feedback, and dialogue
The Committee recognises the clear need for better, more structured, and more accessible communication between the PWCA and its members.
To this end, and as already announced, the following process has been agreed:
• The opening of an online platform dedicated to collecting member feedback, proposals, and structured suggestions (Telegram).• The establishment of an official PWCA Discord channel as an additional space for moderated discussion and exchange among members.• These tools are intended to improve dialogue and transparency. At the same time, formal decisions and voting procedures will continue to be made in accordance with the Association’s statutes and rules.• A separate communication explicitly dedicated to these platforms, including access details, usage rules, and moderation principles, will be issued shortly.
Participation numbers, costs, and entry feesOne of the most sensitive—and legitimate—concerns is the financial impact of higher standards.
It is essential to state this openly:Increasing standards, safety, professionalism, and, especially, staffing significantly increases the costs of the entire operation.Reducing the number of participants per event, if adopted, also affects entry fees.
These decisions cannot be taken responsibly without understanding what the pilots want and are willing to support financially.For this reason:An online, nominative survey platform will be opened shortly.The survey will present concrete scenarios, including cost implications.The results will guide decisions on participant limits, medical standards, additional staffing, and financial structure.No final model will be imposed without members’ feedback.
Satellite tracker responsibility:While satellite trackers are becoming mandatory under the sporting rules, it is clarified that the satellite tracker is the pilot’s responsibility, including its provision, operation, and compliance.Satellite trackers are not PWCA property.
PWCA will continue to provide the latest generation of GSM-based trackers as per current practice. Further technical details and exact dates related to these points will be communicated separately once system updates are finalized.
Moving forward together
The Committee is fully aware that the recent season was excessively turbulent in the broader context of paragliding competitions, marked by strong emotions and, at times, mistrust and aggressiveness. In light of those happenings, many decisions and actions are taken to preserve the bond and the true spirit of the World Cup.
At the same time, it must be said clearly: As an organization with a horizontal structure, we all must share responsibility in all aspects, especially when designing the future, if we want the Paragliding World Cup to remain credible, safe, and respected internationally.
Your involvement is essential. The coming months are not about announcing fixed outcomes, but about building the future structure together, based on open communication, transparency, facts, and above all, mutual respect.
Further communications will follow shortly.
Thank you for your continued engagement and commitment to the Paragliding World Cup.
PWCA Committee