posted Jun 14th, 2005 - The NSL News has recently covered the topic of international eligibility for first-category events in the Sporting Code of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which involves the Italian national 4-way team, Sinapsi PD, and the team's new member in the tail position, Pete Allum.

The case was first covered and completed by the NSL News in December 2004, then picked up again with the NSL News story on June 9 and continued with the story on June 11, which included a comprehensive feedback provided by IPC President Patrice Girardin.

More missing pieces of information have been added with this story, and others will still follow. Interested visitors now have the opportunity to provide additional feedback, information and opinions at the according topic in the NSL Forum, which is already available and includes a poll on the question whether the FAI/IPC should allow Sinapsi PD to compete with Pete Alum at the world meet in 2006 or not.

The Italian side in this conflict over the FAI rules for international eligibility has based its position on previous understanding and the interpretation of the according written language, which was originally confirmed by the highest executive FAI level, FAI Secretary General Max Bishop.

Italy's IPC Delegate Sara Sacchet recently added more evidence for her position. FAI's Max Bishop confirmed the positive interpretation for the Italian side in December 2004, which was then reversed by Bishop with an official fax message on May 27, 2005. Bishop referred to his message of December 2004 when he asked Italy's Sacchet in May "...kindly to take note that this ruling over-rides guidance I had previously given."

However, the same interpretation as Bishop's of December 2004 was still officially maintained and confirmed by the FAI in February 2005. Ian W. Strachan is the Secretary of the FAI Air Sport General Commission (CASI), the same commission that reversed the original interpretation during its May meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

As Bishop in December 2004, Strachan confirmed the same interpretation and the same proposed new language of the according rule with a message to Sacchet in February 2005:

Copies of this message went to the FAI's executive board members and also to Secretary General Max Bishop whose original message to Italy was obviously supported by other FAI representatives. Italy's IPC Delegate, Sara Sacchet and her national 4-way team Sinapsi PD, both had a good reason to "put their minds to rest" in February 2005 and continue with the athletic preparations for the world meet in 2006.

There seems to be a conflict between the FAI interpretation and the IPC position, which was currently explained to the NSL News by IPC President Patrice Girardin. Strachan as the Secretary of the FAI Air Sport General Commission (CASI) explained that "...it was never the intention to take the three years to the day but to apply it to the third year after that in which the previous NAC had been represented."

Much to the contrary, IPC President Patrice Girardin insisted that "...this rule needed a clarification, of course, but not about the period of three years: three years are three years, not two years and a half or three years and two months."

Obviously, the IPC position ended up over-riding the previous FAI interpretation and also the proposed new language that was posted on the agenda for the CASI meeting in May. The minutes of this CASI meeting have still not been published yet, however, they might be helpful to understand what caused the change of mind in the FAI quarters.

The NSL News will continue to provide more information and explain how the conflict was caused. The NSL Forum is now open for comments and feedback on this topic.