posted Feb 7th, 2025 - The NSL News headline on February 3rd stated that France has taken back the world's 4-way top spot, which was factually related to the dominating performance and the 1st place at the Wind Games 2025.

However, winning a 4-way competition is only a temporary accomplishment, even if it is happening at one of the larger events. Traditionally, the world's top spot in Formation Skydiving competition is the winner of the FAI Outdoor World Championship, which is taking place every other year, taking turns with the bi-annual FAI World Cup.

Only the outdoor world championships crown the best teams in the world within the respectively running 2-year cycle, as it is impossible these days to win FAI gold medals with a team for the meet, or with little training only. Even the major indoor events do not have the same meaning as outdoor world championships, where the skills in Formation Skydiving competition are challenged with the additional exits from a jump plane and the sub-terminal first page. There is a good reason why the legendary William H. Ottley Sword for the 4-way and 8-way world champions, also known as the Excalibur, goes only to the winners of outdoor world championships. Teams in 2nd and 3rd places are often very close to the gold medalists, which makes every and any competition an even better and more exciting one. There is still only one team that will eventually take home the Excalibur sword every other year.

Wind Games 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		L,N,O,6		M,3,A,J		B,D,5,K		Q,10,7		22,1,C		15,11,F		E,14,17		8,21,4		9,20,H		G,19,P,13		Total	Avg
1	Aethers Medjay	FR	39	-1	43		48	-1	29	-1	26		29		32		25		38		32	-1	341	34.1
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	39	-1	37		42	-1	26	-1	26		25	-1	29		22		34	-1	28	-1	308	30.8
3	Tunnel Vision	US	38		37		44		27		23	-1	26		29		22		33		29		308	30.8
4	Golden Knights	US	38	-1	35		43	-3	27		25	-1	28		28	-1	21	-2	28	-5	32		305	30.5

The indoor performances of the best 4-way teams in the world are just as impressive and exciting, while the two major components of 4-way Formation Skydiving competition are not required and challenged in a windtunnel. However, the best 4-way outdoor teams in the world are still the same who are also winning the major indoor events. This is naturally explained with the fact that all top teams take advantage of sharpening their flying skills with indoor training, as most of any other 4-way teams are doing, as well.

The world's arguably best current 4-way teams are home in both environments, even though a team aiming at the outdoor world championship title to take home the Excalibur sword cannot ignore the need for enough outdoor training, and only the names of the actual outdoor winners are engraved on the legendary William H. Ottley Sword for the 4-way and 8-way world champions.

Considering the high meaning of the 1st place at skydiving world championships, the dominating performance of the French national team in 4-way Open, Aethers Medjay, at the Wind Games seems to put a question mark behind the NSL News headline and the high expectations in previews and evaluations of the current situation by the experts in the sport. There still seems to be agreement that France is now in a very strong position in Formation Skydiving competition and in the run-up to the next outdoor world championship in 2026.

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4-way Open Class World Champions between 1985 and 2024

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FAI Outdoor World Championship 2010			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 6 Final		10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	22,B,16	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart	FR	21	22	56	20	22	24	22	24	40	26	277	27.7
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	22	21	53	23	20	24	23	25	40	23	274	27.4
3	Sky Panthers Barkli	RU	19	21	56	21	19	21	23	22	41	21	264	26.4
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	21	21	55	20	17	20	23	22	36	18	253	25.3
5	Evolution	CA	19	19	51	20	18	22	21	21	31	18	240	24.0
6	Sinapsi	IT	19	19	49	16	20	17	21	19	37	19	236	23.6

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France - Airspeed Odyssey in Menzelinsk 2010

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4-way teams from the United States and France dominated the event together since the current format of FAI Formation Skydiving World Championships was introduced in 1985 until 2010. The French FS Sweep in Menzelinsk 2010 was the last time that France won gold medals in 4-way Open, with current national coach Mathieu Bernier in the 4-way and 8-way lineups both.

The 4-way Open Class teams of both countries won seven sets of gold medals each before the dry period for France began. Even the U.S. delegation had to leave the outdoor world championships between 2014 and 2020/2021 without the 4-way Excalibur, as well. The new Belgian 4-way powerhouse, with national team NMP PCH HayaBusa, dominated the event between 2014 and 2020/2021 just as much as France and United States did together between 1985 and 2012.

Only France and Belgium actually claimed four consecutive 4-way world championship titles, even though the U.S. teams combined for a total of ten 1st places, while France got stuck at seven after Menzelinsk 2010. The dry period for France could be over with the appearance of the young Aethers lineup, and national coach Mathieu Bernier could possibly pick up 4-way Exalibur next year after he touched it last time 15 years ago. He knows though that it is a long way to go until the next outdoor world championship, and NMP PCH HayaBusa and Arizona Airspeed, or any other U.S. team, share the same goal.