CIVL requires that we check everyone for an FAI Sporting License who wants to compete in a CIVL (FAI) sanctioned competition. Of course, if you don't have a sporting license we can just drop you from the final results sent to CIVL, but it is a favor to the rest of the pilots who want WPRS points (World ranking) to have an FAI Sporting License. If a certain minimum number of pilots don't attend a competition (i.e. all those with FAI Sporting Licenses) then the competition isn't worth anything in WPRS points and World ranking to those pilots that do attend and have FAI Sporting Licenses.

Also, pilots who wish to go to the Worlds are required to have finished in the top 2/3rd's of a CIVL Category 1 sanctioned competition. If the meet doesn't qualify because not enough pilots have their FAI Sporting License, then that meet doesn't count for this requirement.

The US FAI Sporting License is cheap. $35/year. You get NAA membership with that. Other countries include it as part of your hang gliding association membership, but some of those countries charge outrageous amounts for their membership, i.e. Australia.

US NAA Sporting License Renewal or first time registration page.

You can also register with CIVL (which is separate from the FAI Sporting License, and you are not required to have a Sporting License to sign up). This makes it easy for CIVL to do the ranking when we send in results, so please help them out if you are competing. You'll find it here.