posted Oct 18th, 2023 - The NSL News was recently covering a few topics that went beyond actual Formation Skydiving training and competition. These updates did not offer impressive performances and exciting battles and rather reported dark sides of the sport.

The conversation with former NMP PCH HauaBusa member Michele Silvi on October 11th included a brief mention that the 4-way Junior competition at FAI/ISC events would be temporarily removed, at least for the upcoming indoor world cup in China, due to the lack of participation. Just a few days later, FAI/ISC announced the cancellation of the outdoor world championship in Israel.

The removal of the 4-way Junior event in China is only the suggestion of the FAI/ISC Formation Skydiving Committee at the moment. It still has to be confirmed by voting at the ISC plenary meeting in February.

The cancellation of the outdoor world championship is a decision by the FAI/ISC Bureau that does not require the confirmation of the majority of ISC delegates during the annual plenary meeting. President Gillian Rayner, Vice-Presidents Elisabet Mikaelsson, Rina Gallo and Jim Rees, Finance Secretary Gail Bradley and Recording Secretary Vera Asquith made this decision alone in the FAI/ISC Bureau.

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NSL Live Talk with David Grauwels, Recorded on 18 October 2023

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The ISC Formation Skydiving Committee is one of several committees and work groups that consist of ISC delegates to FAI's International Skydiving Commission (ISC). The respective members prepare event-specific decisions, which are then confirmed or not during the annual ISC plenary meetings.

David Grauwels, 4-way world champion of 2014, 2016, 2018 with NMP PCH HayaBusa, team videographer and alternate since 2020, has been one of the Belgian ISC delegates and is currently the Deputy Chair of the Formation Skydiving Committee. He was recently chairing the open competitors meeting at the end of the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving in the absence of Chair Mark Szulmayer from Australia. Claire King, Vana Parker, Trude Sviggum, Jim Rees, Randy Connell and Matthew Fry are the other members of the Formation Skydiving Committee.

David Grauwels has answered many questions of the NSL News in the past during interviews, most of them related to the usual NSL News topics in Formation Skydiving competition. He was once again available on the ZOOM online platform, even though some of the recent events in the sport have not all been the most enlightening ones.

NMP PCH HayaBusa lineup development since 2003

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The two critical topics were on the agenda for the NSL Live Talk, which still began with great news from Belgium. NMP PCH HayaBusa have selected their new team member, who is already in full indoor training. The NSL News will have the opportunity to introduce him to the 4-way world next week, as the Belgian team will be visiting Skydive City for outdoor training with the new lineup.

David Grauwels, Dennis Praet and Jeroen Nollet have now trained and competed for Belgium since 2014, and they will complete their decade of HayaBusa presence together next year. David Grauwels is the only remaining original member of 2002. Neal Willems has been the team junior since 2022, and he will now turn into a HayaBusa senior with the very young new member.

David Grauwels expected and recommended the cancellation of the outdoor world championship in Israel when the new conflict in the Middle East began. He said that there are probably several potential hosts who may step in on a short call. The deadline for a substitute emergency bid is November 15th.

The temporary removal of the 4-way Junior category from FAI/ISC indoor events is causing more controversy, and David Grauwels explained the position of the Formation Skydiving Committee. The next FAI/ISC Plenary Meeting will take place in Orlando, Florida, at the beginning of February 2024. That's when the final decision will be made.