World Gliding Championships


The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held roughly every two years by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are always held in the summer in either the Southern Hemisphere or Northern Hemisphere.

History

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.
Image:Schweizer SGS 2-25 N91892 Gt Hucklow 18.07.54 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|Sailplanes at the 1954 Championships with the three Schweizers of the USA team in the foreground
YearLocationClassWinnerGliderNotes
1937|1935

FAI Sailplane Grand Prix

The FAI Sailplane Grand Prix is a series of international gliding competitions created by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale to make the sport of soaring more accessible and exciting for the public. Unlike traditional gliding championships, which often involve staggered starts, complex scoring, and long tasks that are difficult for spectators to follow, the SGP format features a simultaneous start, clearly defined racing rules, and a “first across the finish line wins” principle. This produces fast-paced, head-to-head racing that is easier to understand and more dramatic to watch.
Each Grand Prix race typically covers 200–300 kilometres, lasts two to three hours, and is contested by up to 20 pilots flying high-performance sailplanes. Points are awarded to the leading finishers on each racing day, with the overall winner crowned at the end of the series. Through innovations such as real-time GPS tracking, livestreamed video, and on-board pilot commentary, the SGP has become one of the most spectator-friendly formats in competitive gliding.
Since its launch in 2005, there have been 12 SGP series, with the 13th series scheduled to begin in 2026. Each series normally features around ten Qualifying SGP events held at soaring sites across the globe. The top two pilots from each qualifying event advance to the World Final, where a field of 20 of the world’s best sailplane pilots compete head-to-head for the coveted title of FAI Sailplane Grand Prix World Champion.

Women's World Gliding Championships

The Women's World Gliding Championships is a women-only gliding competition. From 1979 to 1999 women's gliding competitions were held as International European Women's Gliding Championships.
YearLocationClassWinnerGliderNotes
2001

Junior World Gliding Championships

The Junior World Gliding Championships 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.
YearLocationClassWinnerGliderNotes
1999

FAI World Glider Aerobatic Championships

World Glider Aerobatic Championships take place each year since 1985 under the auspices of the FAI. They are administrated by the FAI Aerobatics Commission "Commission Internationale de Voltige Aerienne". 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 is organized yearly, usually accompanying the WGAC.