World Gliding Championships

History

Gliding had been a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics and was due to become an official Olympic sport in the Helsinki Games in 1940. However, since the Second World War, gliding has not featured in the Olympics, and so the World Championships are the highest level in the sport. There are now contests for six classes of glider and so in recent years the Championships have been divided between two locations. The women's, junior, grand prix and aerobatic events are also held separately.

Each of the following entries give the year and location of the contest followed by the winner of each class, nationality and the glider used.

A list of future events is available here

World Grand Prix Gliding Championships

Gliding Grand Prix, or Sailplane Grand Prix (SGP), is a newer type of gliding competition. It has simpler rules and a more spectacular appearance than conventional soaring competitions.

Women's World Gliding Championships

The Women's World Gliding Championships (WWGC) is a women-only gliding competition. From 1979 to 1999 women's gliding competitions were held as International European Women's Gliding Championships.

Junior World Gliding Championships

The Junior World Gliding Championships (JWGC) is a competition for glider pilots under the age of 26. From 1991 to 1997, international junior gliding competitions were held as European Junior Gliding Championships.

FAI World Glider Aerobatic Championships

World Glider Aerobatic Championships take place each year (every two years until 2011) since 1985 under the auspices of the FAI. They are administrated by the FAI Aerobatics Commission "Commission Internationale de Voltige Aerienne" (CIVA). The 2001 championships were part of the World Air Games. Since 1994, European Glider Aerobatic Championships are held in the years between the World Championships. Since 2010, an additional event is organized in a slightly less demanding "Advanced" category - the World Advanced Glider Aerobatic Championships (WAGAC). WAGAC is organized yearly, usually accompanying the WGAC.