Participation of the President of ELAO in the Plenary Session of the FAI Microlight and Paramotor Committee (CIMA), Kaunas, Lithuania, 22-24/2/2024

ELAO President and Chairman of the Ultralight & Paramotor Committee Nikos Makrakis participated in the Plenary Session of the FAI Microlight and Paramotor Committee (CIMA) in Kaunas, Lithuania, from 22 to 24 February. The main focus was on developing the sport for the future and significant progress was made with many interesting projects, including the awarding of the 2025 Paramotor and Microlight World Championship to France and the creation of a new type of award.

FAI General Secretary Markus Haggeney attended this meeting and shared the main results of the recent FAI General Conference, including the financial reports for the year 2022-2023 and the budget for 2024. He also presented activities at the FAI Secretariat in Lausanne and upcoming projects until the FAI 118th General Conference 2024 to be held in November in Saudi Arabia.

Other than that, the number of rule changes was minimal and most decisions were made unanimously.

BASIC UPDATES

Here are some key updates from the Plenary:

• Paramotor and Microlight World Championship 2025: France's bid to host the event has been accepted.

• Enhanced Awards and Recognition: CIMA will now have more awards to offer, such as the CIMA Gold Medal and the CIMA Hall of Fame. A list of CIMA champions will also be maintained.

• World Series Paramotor Slalom: A new idea to develop the successful Paramotor Slalom format into a World Series format was accepted. Details will be prepared and formulated accordingly.

• Virtual Flying: A working group has been set up to explore the possibilities and possibilities of virtual flying as part of future competitions.

• Microlight Air Sport Challenge: The rules for the new Microlight format known as "Air Sport Challenge" will be finalized soon.

• Introduction of the 'STOL' category: The French representatives introduced a new category called 'STOL' (Short Take-off and Landing). An example of this category will be presented at the 16th FAI European Microlight Championship in France in 2025.

• FAI Next Cloud: From now on, FAI Next Cloud will be used as the main platform for documents, publications, files and communication. A detailed manual will be provided soon.