The statement read: “Following Timo Leonetti’s tragic accident, which has left its mark on our entire community, the Final has, as a precautionary measure, suspended all distance paragliding and hang gliding competitions until midnight on 7 July 2024.”
The FFVL will use the three week window to examine its processes and rules and “if necessary” change them to ensure the safety of pilots.
The statement said: “Jean-Louis Coste, president of the FFVL, has commissioned an internal investigation by the national technical directorate [and] set up a working group led by the SGS (Safety Management System), tasked with assessing the technical and safety rules relating to competitions.”
The French and international paragliding world was shocked last Friday when news broke that Timo Leonetti, one of the sport’s youngest and brightest stars, had died following an accident during the French Paragliding Championships in Passy, northern French Alps.
The announcement of the competition “freeze” will have caught local organisers by surprise. June and July are peak competition season and the official FFVL French competition calendar lists several taking place between now and 7 July. They include the popular Ozone Chabre Open held in Laragne and the Alsace Open.
Organisers of the long-running Ozone Chabre Open, a fun comp for pilots flying EN B and C gliders, said they had confirmed with the FFVL that the competition will happen as planned. A member of the organising team said: “We talked to the FFVL and went through our protocols and safety systems, and they have said we can go ahead.”
And Stephan Schöpe, who is on the organising team for the Alsace Open, a Cat 2 competition, said they were unaffected. “Our organising NAC [National Air Sport Control] is the [German] DHV and the hosting NAC is the FFVL [so] we are not affected.”
He added: “The FFVL has clarified the situation: ‘The competitions concerned are those organised under the aegis of the FFVL’.
While this might seem like a ‘lawyerly’ interpretation, we must acknowledge the serious circumstances while also being responsible for the travel plans of 120 pilots. Therefore, it is important to communicate this information early.”
The FFVL did not publish a list of competitions that will be affected or publicly confirm details of how the competition freeze will work.
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