posted Jun 16th, 2024 - The NSL News has covered the military CISM world championships outside of the usual event format regularly in the past years. The last CISM championship took place in Austria 2022, where NMP PCH HayaBusa won the 15th consecutive set of CISM gold medals for Belgium.

The FAI/ISC 4-way world champions of 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 never had much serious opposition at the military events, even though the Qatar Tigers have moved closer to the top position year by year. The Tigers have been almost as safe in their 2nd place as NMP PCH HayaBusa in 1st place.

The 2022 event in Austria featured a new team on the CISM leaderboard of the NSL News on 27 June 2022. Arizona Airspeed were asking InTime's FAI judge Claire King to evaluate the videos of the same eight CISM competition sequences that NMP PCH HayaBusa and Qatar Tigers performed in Austria.

They performed the identical eight rounds on their home turf at Skydive Arizona shortly after the CISM world championship to compare the scoring level at that point in time, before NMP PCH HayaBusa, Arizona Airspeed and Qatar Tigers would meet each other directly and live at the FAI Outdoor World Championships 2022 in October the same year.

CISM Military 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Male - Top 5		M,A,19,G		M,22,C,H		M,N,21,R		M,10,E,D		M,B,4,O		M,F,14,Q		M,L,11,K		M,J,17,P		Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		31	1	28	3	31	1	37	1	34		32	1	38	1	264	33.0
2	Qatar Tigers	QA	32	1	28		28	2	26	1	33		29	1	28		39		243	30.4
3	Germany	DE	28		24	1	23		22	1	28		28		24		31		208	26.0
4	Turkey	TR	25		19	3	22	1	26		28		24	2	23		33		200	25.0
5	Papea Masculino	ES	20	1	19	3	25	1	24	1	30		26	2	23	5	29		196	24.5

---

NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers at the CISM World Championship 2022

---

There was no surprise in the medal rankings in Eloy 2022, and the same three teams finished in the same order as in June in Austria, even though NMP PCH HayaBusa competed with a different lineup. David Grauwels performed the eight CISM rounds in his inside center slot that he had retired from after the FAI Tanay Mondial. The HayaBusa lineup at the CISM 2022 was identical with the one who won the FAI gold medals in August 2021.

Neal Willems then took back the inside center slot for the FAI world championship in October, where Arizona Airspeed's new lineup won their first FAI gold medals. Airspeed had now outscored all available HayaBusa options at that point in time, first the CISM lineup in June, followed by the new FAI lineup in October.

NMP PCH HayaBusa were then facing the next change in the lineup when Michele Silvi did not continue after the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023. There was no CISM world championship scheduled in 2023, and NMP PCH HayaBusa would have to defend their title next time in July 2024. The Belgium CISM world champions told the NSL News consistently that they were planning to copy their 2022 strategy for this year's CISM event, as well. David Grauwels will step in again, this time as outside center, as newest member Ray Lodens is not ready yet to oppose a strong team as the Qatar Tigers.

CISM Military 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Male - Top 5		M,A,19,G		M,22,C,H		M,N,21,R		M,10,E,D		M,B,4,O		M,F,14,Q		M,L,11,K		M,J,17,P		Total	Avg
G	Arizona Airspeed	US	36		31	1	31		33		38	1	37		34	1	45		285	35.6
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		31	1	28	3	31	1	37	1	34		32	1	38	1	264	33.0
2	Qatar Tigers	QA	32	1	28		28	2	26	1	33		29	1	28		39		243	30.4
3	Germany	DE	28		24	1	23		22	1	28		28		24		31		208	26.0
4	Turkey	TR	25		19	3	22	1	26		28		24	2	23		33		200	25.0
5	Papea Masculino	ES	20	1	19	3	25	1	24	1	30		26	2	23	5	29		196	24.5

---

CISM judged InTime videos of Arizona Airspeed in 2022

---

NMP PCH HayaBusa with inside center Neal Willems defeated the Qatar Tigers in Norway, and the lineup with outside center David Grauwels is supposed to copy the situation at the outdoor world cup and win at least any CISM medals. Ultimate goal is to defend the CISM gold medals successfully next month in Hungary.

Arizona Airspeed are ready to be once again a remote part of the CISM world championship by copying the competition sequences with with top-level judging, as they did in 2022.

However, the United States will have an eligible 4-way team in the top area of the CISM leaderboard this year, and Arizona Airspeed will not only look at the Belgian and Qatar scores to compare. The current Golden Knights 4-way lineup travel to Europe very soon, as well, and they will be facing NMP PCH HayaBusa and Qatar Tigers directly and live in Hungary. Team captain Jesse Stahler confirmed his team's participation. The Golden Knights will compete at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic next week and then switch to the CISM rules quickly. It has not happened in many years that a U.S. 4-way team won CISM medals for the United States. The U.S. Army team will most likely join Belgium and Qatar in the battle for the military top spots.