Sports rules for overflight competitions held by the paragliding association LAA ČR

1. General information

1.1. Types of competitions

Competitions announced and supported by the paragliding association LAA ČR:

league competition (hereinafter referred to as the league), Czech Republic Paragliding Championship (hereinafter referred to as the Czech Championship)

1.2. Conditions for organizing competitions

The dates of the competitions must be published well in advance and their holding must be approved by the Sports Commission (hereinafter referred to as the SK). The organizer will publish the competition proposals on its website or in another suitable way via the Internet (for example, on the website Union PG) no later than 1 month before the competition. The organizer will publish the form for registration of competitors no later than 1 month before the competition. The organizer will publish the list of registered competitors and will keep the list up to date. The organizer will accept a pilot into the competition who meets the conditions according to point 1.3 and pays the entry fee by the specified date. Other conditions may be specified by the SK as part of the tender for the competition organizer.

1.3. Conditions of participation of competitors

The pilot must comply with the SFD operating rules, flying rules and other legal regulations with regard to the country of the event.

A pilot who has been expelled from the LAA ČR will not be admitted to competitions announced by the PG Association during the period of expulsion.

A must have pilot

• a valid pilot's license corresponding to the category of the paraglider on which he will participate in the competition
• a valid technical certificate for the paraglider on which he/she will participate in the competition or a valid flight qualification outside the Czech Republic or for foreigners
• liability insurance
• rescue (reserve) parachute and helmet
• mobile phone and walkie-talkie placed within reach of the pilot during flight or emergency landing
• valid FAI license 
• be familiar with and respect the FAI Sporting Code Section 7 (at least within the scope of S7A Cross Country as currently amended) https://www.fai.org/page/sporting-code-section-7

It is strongly recommended to have travel insurance that covers paragliding in the case of a foreign competition.

1.3.1. Qualification for the Czech Championship

A pilot qualifies for the MČR by fulfilling one of the conditions listed below:

• He was placed in the 50% ranking in the ČPP in the previous season.
• He placed in 90% of the rankings in the XC League the previous season.
• He placed in the 90% ranking at the MČR XC in the previous season.

1.4. Scope

These Competition Rules are valid from 1 April 2025 and apply to the competitions listed in point 1.1. and to competitions that refer to these Sporting Rules in their rules/propositions. Rules and procedures not covered by these Sporting Rules are assessed according to the current version of the FAI Sporting Rules – FAI Sporting Code Section 7 

1.5. Entry fee:

The entry fee must include:

• charges for the use of take-off and landing areas
• processing and announcement of results
• export of competitors and their equipment to the start if possible
• pick-up of competitors from the track to the venue of the competition (HQ)

2. Administration

2.1. Responsibility of pilots

All pilots are responsible for following the competition rules and flying rules according to the applicable guidelines. Pilots participate in the competition at their own risk.

2.2. Insurance

The pilot must be legally insured against damages caused to a third party. The organizer of the competition abroad must require insurance valid in the country of the event. If the competition is held outside the territory of the Czech Republic, it is recommended that the pilot have medical expenses insurance valid in the country in question.

2.3. Complaints and protests

• The purpose of the complaint is to remedy a breach of these Sporting Regulations or the FAI Sporting Regulations committed by the organizers or other competitors during the competition.
• It is submitted to the competition director or his representative. If the competition is held in the Czech Republic and by a Czech organizer, it is possible to submit a complaint or protest in Czech. 
• If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, he/she may file a protest with the competition director together with a fee in the amount defined in the Local Regulations. If the fee has not been defined, then the complaint fee is 500 CZK for competitions held in the Czech Republic. The complaint is submitted in writing (possibly electronically – by email). If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the protest, he/she is entitled to file a protest at the event. 

• The protest at the race is handled by SK LAA ČR. It is submitted by email to the address sk@svazpg.czThe deposit for filing a protest is 2000 CZK. The deadline for filing is within 7 days after the end of the race.

• The protest fee is returned to the pilot if the protest is recognized as justified.

3. Security

3.1. Help

As soon as the pilot lands, he is required to pack the parachute immediately. If the parachute is spread out on the ground, it means "I need help". A pilot who witnesses an accident is obliged, if he has the opportunity, to inform the organizers. A pilot who interrupts a competition flight to assist a pilot in distress will be awarded points as determined by the Competition Director.

3.2. Report back

After landing, each pilot is obliged to report to the organizer by the time specified in the briefing in a predetermined manner (e.g.: whatsapp, telegram, SMS, Flymaster tracker, etc.). These actions are performed by the pilot immediately after landing. The pilot is obliged to land safely within a predetermined time from the time of closing the target or when the round is stopped (if free flying is not allowed). This practice prevents the organization of unnecessary rescue operations. 

3.3. Collision avoidance

The direction of circling in the thermals in the start area in the start sector will be specified by the competition director before each competition day at the pilots' briefing. Each competitor is obliged to follow the rules for avoiding and flying in thermals according to ZL - 1.

3.3. Rescue helicopter

If a rescue helicopter is approaching the area, the pilots are obliged to leave the area immediately.

4. Results

4.1. Official results

Official results are published only after all complaints and protests have been resolved on the notice board at the race venue (HQ) or on the race website. The organizer is obliged to enter the results into the system no later than one week after the end of the race CIVL comps or otherwise deliver to the person responsible for scoring by WPRS rankingsAt the same time, he is obliged to send the results by email to sk@svazpg.cz in machine-readable format (html, pdf, txt format; but not images or photographs). The race results will also be available on the website later. Union PG.

5. Scoring

5.1. Points in a single round

The GAP system is used for the MČR competition and league competitions. GAP parameters must be published before the start of the first task and must not be changed during the race. Recommended GAP settings are published on the website Union PG. The use of a scoring system other than GAP must be approved by the Sports Commission before the start of registration for the race and pilots must be explicitly notified of this in the race regulations. In case of using a different scoring system or setting, the race may not be counted in the overall results of the Czech League.

5.2. Points in the year of the league overall

Each pilot's best-scoring laps count towards the overall Czech League results. This number is determined based on the total number of laps flown in the entire league series as follows:

for N <= 3 applies Z = N

for N > 3 applies Z = round((N-4)/2)+3

where N is the number of laps flown

Z is the number of laps counted

round() is a function to round to integers

see table for the first 18 laps flown

 5.3. Round validity

• The minimum number of pilots scoring in a round necessary for the round to be recognized in the overall league results is set at 15. A pilot who is not rated as DNF (did not fly), DSQ (was disqualified) or ABS (was absent) is considered a scoring pilot.
• The task is recognized as valid for the overall league results only if 20% of the competitors present at the start exceed the distance of 10 km of the course or 15 km in Alpine countries.

6. Titles and category wins

6.1 Czech Championship

• The organizer is obliged to announce the overall Czech ranking, the Sport category (max. EN-C), the Czech women - female pilots category, the Junior category (according to the current FAI definition) at the Czech Championship race, if the requirement of a minimum number of 5 pilots in the category is met.
• The title of Champion of the Czech Republic will be awarded to the winner of the overall Czech ranking, the title of Champion of the Czech Republic will be awarded to the winner of the Czech women's ranking, and the title of Junior Champion of the Czech Republic will be awarded to the winner of the Czech junior ranking. 
• A pilot with an FAI license issued by the Czech NAC is considered a Czech pilot. The pilot's affiliation to the Czech Republic will be assigned according to the abbreviation from the FAI license number.

6.2. Czech League Race Series

• The ranking in the Czech League series is calculated from all completed rounds according to the rules specified in point 5.2.
• In the overall ranking of the Czech League, the standard, sport, open and women categories are announced if at least 5 pilots (male and female) compete in the category in 2025.
• In the overall ranking of the Czech League, the categories Open, Sport (max. EN-C), Women, Junior are announced, if at least 5 pilots (male and female) compete in the category from 2026.
• A pilot is announced in the overall league results in the Sport category only if he has flown all valid league rounds with a parachute of category EN-C or higher.
• A pilot is declared in the overall league results in the Standard category only if he has flown all valid league rounds with a parachute of category EN-B or higher.
• Only pilots with an FAI license issued by the Czech NAC can place in the overall Czech League standings in any category. The pilot's affiliation to the Czech Republic will be assigned according to the abbreviation from the FAI license number.

7. Penalty

Penalties are governed by FAI Sporting Code S7 as amended.