FAI, the World Air Sports Federation, is planning to launch an international Air Games Tour in the 2nd half of 2018.
Touching down in up to five host cities around the world, each event will showcase some of the best sporting action from across the world of air sports over four days of competition, according to FAI officials.
Designed to bridge the gap between the FAI World Air Games, which are held every five years, the Air Games Tour will build on the success of the FAI World Air Games 2015 in Dubai.
That multi-discipline air sports competition saw nearly 1,000 pilots and competitors compete in 20 air sports over two weeks. It was televised by 42 broadcasters across 115 countries, according to an analysis conducted by Sportcal in the Global Sports Impact Event Study, “FAI World Air Games Dubai 2015.”
FAI President Frits Brink said: “The idea is to initially develop a multi-discipline Air Games Tour, with three to five events a year, leading athletes to the World Air Games every four or five years. The intention is to start with a small number in the first year, then extend it.”
Many different sports and air sport disciplines come under the umbrella of the FAI, from skydiving to drone racing, and the idea of the Air Games Tour is to showcase several different air sports at the same time at the same venue. In this way, more people will be reached, the audience will be bigger, and the event will be more commercially viable compared with simply hosting a single-sport competition, FAI officials said.
FAI is the world governing body for air sports and for certifying world aviation and space records. The FAI was founded in 1905 and is a non-governmental and non-profit-making organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
FAI activities include Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Airships, Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft, Balloons, Gliding, Hang Gliding, Helicopters, Manpowered Flying, Microlights, Parachuting, Paragliding, Paramotors, Power Flying and all other Aeronautic and Astronautic sporting activities.