World Team Selection Update: Key Details for the 2025/26 Season

Following on from Lumpy’s important competition advisory note another aspect that falls out of our Nationals is World Team selection so in order to assist those pilots plan their selection strategy for the next two rounds of World championships the following is an outline of the selection cycle status for the coming season.

The Club Class competition at Kingaroy will be the final 60% selection competition for the Club Class Worlds in 2027.

The Standard and 15m class competition at Leeton will be the final 60% selection competition for the respective Standard and 15m Worlds in 2027, both held in Rieti. Rieti is a mountain site and it will be expected that pilots wishing to be considered for the Worlds at Rieti will have significant experience flying in the mountains.

This year is also the final selection year for 2027 Women’s Worlds in Slovenia.

The 18m, Open and 20m class competitions at Leeton, and 20m class competition at Kingaroy will be the first competitions for this selection cycle providing the 40% scores for the next 18m , Open and 20m class Worlds in 2028.

The competitions in the next two soaring seasons will contribute towards Junior selection at the Lake Keepit Worlds in 2028.

The following is the current 40% selection cycle Master Ranking list for the Standard,15m and Club Class Worlds. It should be noted that due to their being no valid Standard and 15m class competitions in the 2024/25 season the Master Ranking list only reflects the 40% scores for pilots that flew a valid National championship in the Standard,15m and Club class first selection cycle year – 2024/25 – that being the Temora Club Class nationals.
As there was no valid competition for the first 2024/25 selecton year for the majority of the Std and15m and pilots, a subjective method will need to be applied to provide those pilots that did not compete in a valid 15m and Std class competition with an alternative to a 40% prescriptive selection score.

This is my last communication as ITM and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have assisted me over the many years I have been involved in this role. Involvement in the team selection process has been a challenge on many occasions, in particular during and after the effects of COVID on the usual selection processes, but it has also been very rewarding when you see members of the Australian team on the World Championship Podium and day winners.

Having been involved in this position, both selecting teams for the Worlds and being the Team Captain for our world team at the Narromine was a great honour.

Ray Stewart has kindly volunteered to take over the role as ITM.

Have a safe, successful and importantly enjoyable 2025/26 soaring season.

Kind regards
Miles Gore-Brown
ITM