"It's the most beautiful thing about drone racing – I don't have limits anymore. I can compete with all the other participants, and I can have the same opportunities. There are no differences, we are all the same, we can fly together."

Italy's Luisa Rizzo, 22, is competing at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China. She is the FAI Women's World Drone Racing Champion, a title she won in 2024 after several years competing on the international stage. 

A star at home and abroad in the drone racing community she has been flying drones for eight years. Affected by spinal muscular atrophy, her father bought her a drone back in 2017 as a fun way to help keep her hands moving.

Since then she has taken the drone racing world in her stride, clocking up at least 15 World Cup events, three FAI World Championships and now two The World Games. Other major achievements in drone racing include a Guinness world record in 2018 and amassing more than 50,000 votes to win second place in The World Games Athlete of The Year contest in 2023. 

Luisa studies cinematography and arts at university, and one of her ambitions is to work with drones on movie sets, where she has already had some experience. She also plays another sport: Powerchair Football – powered wheelchair soccer.

She said:

"The most important thing for me is the experiences I've had, all the people I've met. And I hope to meet new ones too. Drones give you freedom."

Follow the competition

FAI provides extensive coverage of the competition, with regular updates on its website, Facebook, and Instagram.

• FAI Facebook
• FAI Instagram
• The World Games 2025 - Drone Racing event - Website
• Livestream - All stages of the race will be live-streamed
• Results & draws
• FAI Flickr (images)
• #TWG2025
• #airsports

About The World Games

The World Games: 7-17 August 2025
The World Games drone racing event: 13-16 August 2025

The World Games is a prestigious multi-sport event organised by the International World Games Association (IWGA) under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Held every four years, The World Games showcases the best athletes in non-Olympic sports, providing a global platform for emerging and innovative disciplines. Air Sports have been part of The World Games since 1997.

Photo credit: FAI/Marcus King