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Non-certified paragliders banished from Belgian Opens

The General Council of the Belgian hang gliding and paragliding association (FBVL) has decided to follow the strong recommendation of the FAI-Commission CIVL, which has decided to suspend all not-certified paragliders (type certification) during FAI category 1 paragliding competitions (World and European championships).

This recommendation to extend this suspension to all FAI category 2 paragliding competitions (National championships, also the BPO and BAPO), has put national associations in an awkward position at several levels.

This decision of the FBVL does not concern the smaller or bigger or “light”-versions of a certified model, even if this version was not certified.

The Council is aware that this is very disappointing for the pilots that fly on these machines, but the CIVL did not leave us much of a choice since the legal liability and even penal responsibility (different laws in Belgium) of the organizers and the FBVL Council members could be engaged, because not taking into account this recommendation could be considered as negligence.

The pilots that want to retire from the competitions because they don’t have another paraglider to fly on will be reimbursed for a big part or the totality of the registration fee (this will depend on the negotiations between the organizers and the FBVL.

With regard to this suspension in FBVL competitions, the Council will reevaluate the situation in accordance with future evolutions within the CIVL.

The FBVL Council.