posted Jun 6th, 2023 - The list of currently registered teams for the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023 in Voss, Norway, is far from completion at this point in time. The deadline for official entry is July 8th, and late registration is possible until August 1st. Round 1 in Formation Skydiving competition is scheduled for August 22nd.

Several teams have confirmed their participation in this year's second FAI/ISC event, and the first preview with NSL Power Rankings is showing the same four 4-way Open medal contenders in the latest ranking order after the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023.

However, indoor and outdoor competition seem to develop into increasingly different events. It becomes more and more difficult to predict which teams may master the challenges of exits from jump planes and sub-terminal pages and maneuvers better than others.

In fact, there are even 4-way teams and competitors who visit indoor competitions exclusively. However, the world's top contenders in 4-way Open are still training and competing in both environments, and they have signed up for the 4th confrontation within a time frame of less than a year.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	NSL Power Rankings 4-way Open		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	France 4-way Open	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	SDC Rhythm XP	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Qatar Cheetahs	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Qatar Lions	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	Whitefish	AU	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The 4-meet journey for Arizona Airspeed, NMP PCH HayaBusa, Qatar Tigers and France's national team in 4-way Open together began at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022 in October last year at Skydive Arizona.

It was in Australia 2018 when the same four teams posted scores on the same leaderboard the last time, before the implications of the corona virus crisis and before the outdoor world championship in Eloy. SDC Rhythm XP represented the United States in Tanay 2021, where NMP PCH HayaBusa won their last 4-way title and the Qatar Tigers their first set of FAI medals at a world championship.

Three of the same four medal contenders of Australia 2018 had different lineups in Eloy 2022. Only Qatar Tigers have been without any personnel changes in the last decade, which was rewarded with the second set of bronze medals in Eloy last year. Nothing was the same for the other three teams of Tanay 2021, and the 2022 season eventually generated the French, Belgian and U.S. lineups who battled for the FAI outdoor medals in Eloy, DeLand and Slovakia.

The next outdoor showdown between Arizona Airspeed, NMP PCH HayaBusa, Qatar Tigers and France in Voss, Norway, is promising to feature the same most exciting race of the four teams for three sets of FAI medals.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	Chimera	UK	16		21	-2	19		19	-1	18	-5	18	-1	16		14	-1	23	-1	24		188	18.8
6	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
7	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
8	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
9	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
9	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6

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Arizona Airspeed - NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers - France at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2023, video footage courtesy of FAI/Omniskore

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This special showdown will take place for the first time at an outdoor world cup, which makes the event in Norway even more special. It has not happened in the history of the sport since 1985 that the four top teams at the most recent outdoor world championship follow up a year later at the next outdoor world cup.

It becomes even more exciting due to the fact that all four teams will be competing with exactly the same lineups. The 20 respective team members know each other very well by now, and they also observe the progression of the opponents carefully.

Arizona Airspeed, NMP PCH HayaBusa, Qatar Tigers and France have finished in different orders meet by meet, and there is no guarantee for any of the medal positions.

Even Arizona Airspeed, winner at all three events since October 2022, are aware of the fact that the new French 4-way Open Class lineup and NMP PCH HayaBusa keep reducing Airspeed's winning margin. The Qatar Tigers can also be expected to show up in Norway in their best form, after the challenging Ramadan circumstances at the two events earlier this year.

Shamrock Showdown 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/4-way Open		14,O,7		C,9,11		4,2,F		Q,13,21		B,6,L,19		1,22,G		K,18,8		M,3,17		H,15,12		D,20,10		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		28		25	-1	24		27	-1	21		22		27		22	-1	22		244	24.4
2	France 4-way Open	FR	26		25	-1	23		24		25	-1	19		19		26		19		18		224	22.4
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	21	-1	23	-2	24	-1	19	-1	26		19	-1	18	-1	26	-1	21		20	-1	217	21.7
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	21		22		17	-1	21		23		18		17		22		17	-1	19		197	19.7
5	SDC Rhythm XP	US	20	-1	20		20		19	-1	21		14	-2	15	-2	22		15	-2	14	-1	180	18.0
6	Pour Decisions	US	18		19		16		17		19		13	-1	12	-2	18		12	-1	14		158	15.8

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Arizona Airspeed - France - NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers at the Shamrock Showdown 2023 of InTime

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The new French national team in 4-way Open have shown the most consistent progression after two outdoor world meets (Tanay 2021, Eloy 2022) without any medals for France. That happened only once before at the outdoor world championship in Prostejov 2014.

The new and youngest French lineup ever started with the 4th place in Eloy, took the 2nd place in the world away from NMP PCH HayaBusa at the Shamrock Showdown and defended it successfully in Slovakia, while reducing the distance to Arizona Airspeed.

NMP PCH HayaBusa was pushed to 3rd place by France at both events, which may produce the false impression that the Belgian 4-way world champions of 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 are not as dangerous for Arizona Airspeed as France may be. HayaBusa, with new inside center Neal Willems, have improved their performance level at least as significantly as France has, and they have moved closer to Airspeed in step with France.

It would be no surprise if the outdoor world cup in Voss, Norway, turns out to feature the closest finish between the four medal contenders at indoor and outdoor events. Winner Arizona Airspeed were 47 points ahead of France in 4th place at the outdoor world meet in 2022, followed by the same difference of 47 points between 1st and 4th place at the Shamrock Showdown, then 48 points in Slovakia. But that was an indoor competition...

FAI Indoor World Cup 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		E,14,3		K,F,22,17		O,7,5		N,2,18		L,P,12,15		M,10,D,H		16,9,C		1,G,J,8		4,Q,21		6,20,A		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		35		39		27	-2	31		38		38		29		28	-1	31		323	32.3
2	France 4-way Open	FR	27		33		38		26	-2	28		33	-3	35		28		30		30		308	30.8
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	26	-1	30		33	-3	26	-3	28		37	-1	37		28		29		30	-1	304	30.4
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	24		29	-1	32	-1	26		25	-3	32		30	-2	26		25	-1	26	-1	275	27.5
5	Jochen Schweizer Arena Airfource	DE	22	-2	28	-1	33		22		25		30	-2	31		24		24	-1	25	-1	264	26.4
6	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	22		26	-1	30		17	-5	24		28	-3	27	-2	23		24		25	-1	246	24.6
7	FLY X	IT	19	-4	27		30	-1	20	-1	21	-1	29	-2	30	-1	23	-1	22	-2	24	-1	245	24.5
8	HF Flying Circus	CZ	20	-2	23	-1	29	-1	22		20	-2	30	-2	29		24		20	-3	25		242	24.2
9	Purple Maze	FI	22		26		29		19	-3	21		29		27		25		21	-3	21	-2	240	24.0
9	Papea	ES	23	-1	24	-2	29	-2	19	-5	21	-2	28	-2	28		25		21	-1	22	-2	240	24.0

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Arizona Airspeed - France - NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023, video footage courtesy of FAI/InTime

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