It is hard to get a meet organizer to put on a Worlds for Women
only (There aren't enough of them in hang gliding competition.). So when rigids
came along they got tacked on to the Women's Worlds to build up the number of
contestants. Then Swifts got tacked on. And this year it is Sport Class.

But not enough pilots have attended Sport Class competitions (like our
successful circuit in the US) to provide much of a competition at the Worlds.
Therefore, they allow in open class pilots (the Plenary had the opportunity to
restrict entry to only those pilots who had flown in Sport or Floater class
competitions, a normal step to a Worlds.)