Jan 1998
at the World Games :
Lahti 1997
Jan 1998 | at the World Games : Lahti 1997 | |
 Since 1994, the FAI is a member of the International World Games Association (IWGA), an organisation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IWGA was founded in 1930 by 12 international sports federations which joint forces and created a quadrennial multidisciplinary sports event, the World Games, which was to equal or exceed the importance of the world championships organised by each federation individually.The principal aim of the IWGA, and most likely the main purpose for the World Games' very existence, is to gain a maximum of worldwide media attention for the sports involved and to assist certain of them in achieving inclusion in the programme of future Olympics.  The World Games are staged every four years since 1981 and the world's top athletes of the different sports compete in World Games events at existing venues in a single host city. This results in an ever changing competition of the World Games programme in the different host cities - which are not required to build or expand upon existing facilities and infrastructure for the purpose of hosting the World Games.The World Games' 5th edition, Lahti 1997, has gathered 25 competition sports, 2500 participants representing 90 countries. Parachuting and Skydiving  In 1985, the IOC recognized parachuting - as well as gliding and hang-gliding - as an Olympic sport. Several years after, on 6th May 1996, the FAI was informed by the IWGA that its formal application to get parachuting and skydiving in World Games competition had been accepted. Accuracy Landing, Formation Skydiving and Freestyle Skydiving events would be on the programme during Lahti 1997.From 8th to 10th August 1997, 84 parachutists and skydivers from 19 countries took part in the competition events. These world's best athletes qualified to participate by placing highest in the 1996 editions of the World Parachuting Championships and World Cups of Formation Skydiving and Freestyle Skydiving. Moreover, and according to the IWGA's regulation, a minimum participation by athletes from Finland, the host country, was ensured.  During the 3 competition days, many VIPs among them Ron Fröhlich, the IWGA's President, the IWGA's Sports Director, an IOC working group and a delegation from Akita (the host Japanese city for the World Games 2001) visited the competition venue to evaluate Parachuting and Skydiving on site. All of them were very impressed by and interested in the athletes' performances and the high technology used during the events.Competition and results in LahtiThe Parachuting and Skydiving events took place at the Jokimaa Horse Racing Centre, located 6 kms from the downtown Lahti area. Thanks to the closed-circuit television system and its 50 monitors, the spectators were able to follow the action from anywhere on the grandstands. The most spectacular images of the FAI athletes in freefall were transmitted live from the point-of-view cameras mounted on the helmets of skydiving videographers. The particularly sunny weather during the 3 competition days allowed to jump 10 rounds in Formation and Freestyle Skydiving but only 7 in Accuracy Landing because of a too high wind (more than 8 m/sec, the speed limit in a parachuting event). According to the FAI rules and fortunately for the parachutists, these 7 legs were enough to validate the competition. Accuracy Landing  * Men : The Czech Ivan Hovorka won with a 5-point score ahead of the Chinese Junbo Chen (7 pts) and the Belarus Oleg Fomin (11 pts). A promising winning for the one whose began to practise when he was 18, has 8450 jumps to his credit today and whose goal is to become World Champion next year !* Women : After a tremendous fight, Irena Avblej from Slovenia finally finished 1st with 4 points just ahead of Xiaoli Lai (China, 5 pts) and Monika Filipowska (Poland, 8 pts) * From the 2nd round, the American team "Arizona Airspeed" took the lead. Round after round, the gap between them and their immediate pursuers, the French "Maubeuge" team became more and more important. In the 9th round, the French were caught up by the South African "Equanimity" team.  Close of the even, the US skydivers ranked 1st with 96 points (and an average of 9,60) whereas the French and South African skydivers finished with the same score (90 pts). To settle between each other, they rejumped an eleventh time. Both teams got 7 points and finished with a total of 97 points and an average of 8,82. But according to the FAI rules, the French won on speed as they have performed fastest and so they took the 2nd place and the South African jumpers the 3rd.* Men : Omar Alhegelan from Saudi Arabia - who describes himself as being determined and motivated - became World Champion in only 3 years after his very first jump. Once more in Lahti, his qualities allowed him to perform very well and to win the World Games event jointly with his videographer Orly King and a total of 774.51 points. The American Scott Smith and Peter Raymond finished 2nd (762.50 pts) followed by the French Nicolas Arnaud and the Belgian Willy Boyekens (734.01 pts).  * Women : From the 1st round, Dale Stuart (USA) and her cameraman Greg Gasson (USA) soared about the competition finishing 1st with 794.33 points far ahead of the Japanese Chifumi Sakakibara and Koji Mizo‹ (719.85 pts). On the other hand, the gap between the 2nd and the Swiss Lucrezia Manni-Hunold and Andreas Duff was very very tight ... only 0.68 point distinguished these two teams !At the end of the World Games, parachutists and skydivers expressed their satisfaction to have competed together in such a major event which was broadcast daily during 1h30 on the Finish television and will be carried by several broadcasters very soon (Eurosport, NTV Plus Russia, Canal Plus Spain, TWI Worldwide, KBS Korea, NHK Japan, ART Middle East, Fox Sport Australia, Sky Sport UK). RESULTS OF THE PARACHUTING AND SKYDIVING WORLD GAMES LAHTI 1997 8-10 AUGUST 1997
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OTHER ARTICLES OF ASI JANUARY'98 ISSUE | News In Brief | Letters To The Editor | World Records | | 13th World Hot Air Championship, Saga | | Parachuting and Skydiving at the World Games : Lahti 1997 | | World Air Games 1997 - Turkey | | 20th Australian Free Flight Society Championship | | Long Range Air Race |  More articles on Parachuting
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