The eyes of the aviation sporting world will be on Omarama on December 19-24 when 20 of the sport’s elite pilots from around the globe will compete for the FAI World GP Gliding Championship.

The six days of intense competition will see high speed aerial battles of strategy, courage and skill as the pilots race head-to-head through the challenging skies above New Zealand’s spectacular Southern Alps. Travelling at speeds of up to 300kph, often just metres above the mountain ridges and hostile terrain, the competitors are sometimes just a wing’s breadth apart from each other. Despite the huge distances covered in each race, the finishes can be nail-bitingly close with split second decisions deciding the outcome.

The FAI World GP Gliding Championships will be seen live by viewers around the world using the latest in TV and internet technologies. The combined power of these technologies will produce a milestone in TV sports coverage as one of the world’s most sophisticated outside broadcast projects.