http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9556


http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=47282#47282


Fernando Amaral, Portuguese Delegate at CIVL, <>
writes:

As you know the "team size rule" was changed at last February's
CIVL Plenary meeting and became effective  the 1st of May 2006 when it was
published in the 2006 version of the Section 7B (Paragliders) of the FAI
Sporting Code. Despite that, this new rule which all the CIVL delegates
discussed, and to some extent helped to refine and which the Plenary approved
(18 in favor, 9 against - 2/3 majority), is not being applied when setting team
sizes for the next World Paragliding Championship to be held February 2007 in
Australia. The old team size rule is being used.


As a protest the Portuguese Free Flying Federation (FPVL) has decided not to
participate in the World Championships. The FPVL document explaining the reasons
for this decision follows and I ask you to bring this subject up with your own
Federations/Associations and to consider if you should take similar measures.


This Plenary decision is not the only one that was not followed later by the
Bureau and I'll be back to you soon with details on another one. There's no
point in spending our Federation's money and our own time going to the Plenary
if the decisions we take there are not complied with.


Announcement – Paragliding World Championship 2007


The directors board of the FPVL (Portuguese Hang Gliding and Paragliding
Federation) hereby, informs all members, and presents the reasons beyond the
decision of not be present on Paragliding World Championship, that will take
place from February 24th to March 9th of 2007, at Manilla, Australia. This
decision, thus, taken with great regret, is due to the below mentioned issues,
and takes the form of a complaint, which will be duly sent to the attention of
the Fédéracion Aéronautique International (FAI), to the Portuguese Sports
Institute, Portuguese Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee,
Portuguese Aero Club and Delegates of the Commission International de Vol Libre
– CIVL.


1) The overall national team results in Paragliding World Championships is
obtained by the total of the best three pilot results in each task. But for how
amazing it may seem, on the 2003 Paragliding World Championship in Governador
Valadares (Brazil), the enrollment was only allowed, to the Portuguese as well
as to other teams, to 3 pilots (2 males + 1 female), while several other
countries participated with seven pilots (5 males + 2 females). In view of this
situation, the Portuguese team, present on the that Championship, put in action
a request subscribed on site by nine countries, and later by others, in order be
removed from the overall Classification by countries. These requests were not
accepted


2) In February 2006, at the plenary meeting of CIVL, which took place in
Lausanne, Switzerland, Portugal presented a proposal aimed changing the rules
for the teams’ constitution on the FAI category 1 competitions – Paragliding
World and European Championships – attributing identical size to all teams and
devolving justice and sportive credibility to these events. Eighteen votes for
and nine against approved this proposal.


3) The rule for “Team size and scoring” proposed by Portugal was based on very
simple principles:


• Minimum number of participants for all countries is three male pilots + one
female (once all accomplish the rules for single qualification).


• The remaining openings will circularly be granted one per team until all teams
have received an extra place, then again one per team until reaching a second
place and so forth.


This way, there will be a better distribution of participants among the nations.


4) The Paragliding subcommittee reached by unanimous conclusion, during the
discussion brought by the analysis of Portuguese proposal, that there was
inequity on previous rules. The fact that there were teams with only two pilots,
whilst the competition’s results is obtained from the three best individual
results. The minimum number of participants per country, of 3 + 1, was included
on the report of the Paragliding subcommittee, and thereof approved on the
plenary.


5) Still, and despite being approved in the plenary meeting of CIVL one year
before the Manilla championship, and despite being published on Section 7B of
the FAI Sports Code, in force since May 1, 2006, this new rule concerning the
teams size, will not be used on the next World Championship.


6) The only argument presented by the organization body is that the new rule for
the team formation was not yet in force when the contract with FAI was signed.
The older rule was inherent to the decision, since this was the one in force.
They also claim that the use of the new rule might have implications on the
number of participants and consequently on the estimated profits. Curiously, on
the initial phase the organizer showed agreement with the new rules, deciding,
later on, for the previously existing one.


The board of the FPVL considers that the required conditions, to attain the
primary goal of FAI, for the holding of such championships – provide a safe,
fair, and pleasant competition - are not met, nor are the elementary
principals of sport's spirit in general. Therefore, we find it inappropriate to
be cooperating with distortion procedures, profiting only some influential
minorities to the detriment of the sport's truth.


Due to the presented motives, the FPVL refuses to sign up Portugal for the next
Paragliding World Championship, since, in our opinion; it would support an event
where the classification of the countries will be not sportive at start.


Yours sincerely, On behalf of board of directors (Prof. Paulo Branco)