The 2009 CIVL Plenary held in Hall in Tirol, Austria had the difficult task of assessing and voting on no fewer than 9 bids for three World Championships. The vote for the 2011 World HG Championship ran to three rounds among the four contenders, and was finally awarded to Italy. The bid for the 2011 World PG Championships was conclusively won by Spain in the first round of voting with three nations bidding. The 2011 Paragliding Accuracy Championships were awarded to Czech Republic. The bids were first studied and discussed by the respective subcommittees to assess issues including suitability of the sites, track record of the organisers and personnel, safety aspects, meteorology and airspace, costs and value for money for pilots and the overall budget. Next, on the first day of the Plenary, delegations from each nation presented their bids, each with a 20minute timeslot. The HG bids from Germany (near Berlin) and Australia (Forbes) specified aerotow launch, while those from Turkey (Kayseri) and Italy (Monte Cucco) planned hill launches. Although the tow events were higher cost, this did not prevent Australia’s bid, presented by Vicki Cain and Jonny Durand, from coming a close second. The 2011 World Hang Gliding Championships will take place from 16th to 30th July at Monte Cucco with Monte Subasio and Monte Gemmo also noted in the bid. Headquarters will be at Sigillo. The entry fee will be 450 euros per pilot and 200 euros per team leader. The test event will be held from 19th to 31st July 2010. Both Turkey (Kayseri) and Italy (Feltre) also presented bids for the World PG Championships, but they were outclassed this time by the bid from Spain (Piedrahita), a long-time favourite venue for paraglider pilots world-wide. Presented by Steve Ham, a British expatriate who has been living in the area for many years, the bid was supported by the local mayor and other dignitaries. The entry fee is just 380 euros per pilot! Headquarters will be in the spectacular Palace of the Dukes of Alba. Dates for 2011 are 3rd to 15th July, with the test event planned for the same time frame in 2010. The organisers stated that there will be at least three major paragliding competitions on site each year to give pilots plenty of opportunity to familiarise themselves with the area. For Paragliding Accuracy, two bids were presented, from FYR Macedonia and Czech Republic. The voting was close, with the balance tipped towards Czech Republic. Two launches are available, depending on wind direction, located in the Beskydy mountains near Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem. The organisers have already hosted successful Cat 2 competitions in the Paragliding Accuracy World Cup series. The dates for 2011 are 24th to 31st July, and the entry cost is 250 euros per pilot, half price for female pilots. CIVL president, Flip Koetsier, made a point of thanking all the nations presenting bids, commiserating with those who did not succeed this time. He hopes they will return to bid for a future championship.