We are less than two years away from the World Games 2021 taking place in and around Birmingham. Many are likely unfamiliar with the sports in the World Games, so Alabama NewsCenter is explaining what you can expect to see. Today, we look at Air Sports.

Air sports are any performed in the air or during a free fall. The sport originated in France and covers a wide range of recreational activities such as aerobatics, air racing, ballooning, gliding, paragliding and parachuting. Games included in air sports are governed by the Federal Aeronautique Internationale, which was founded in 1905. Air sports have been in six editions of the World Games. Athletes from the United States won the 2017 championships.

Precision in landing is one of the keys of Air Sports in the World Games. (contributed)

The World Games offers two disciplines of air sports: canopy piloting and drone racing. In canopy piloting, multiple tasks are presented to test an athlete’s ability to accurately control the canopy. A parachute skydiver must perform aerial feats above an area of water. The competitor must achieve one of four goals: complete the mission in the shortest amount of time; complete the water section by accurately landing on the target; reach the longest distance from the entry before landing; or perform freestyle maneuvers in a precise manner.

Scoring is based on speed, accuracy, control, execution and presentation. Competitors are ranked on a numeric scale. Rank one is equivalent to one point and rank two is two points. The winner is chosen based on the lowest amount of aggregated ranking points. In drone racing, multi-rotor drones are raced around specially designed courses.

To learn more visit: https://www.theworldgames.org/sports/Air-Sports-29.