Day 1 at the Drone Racing at The World Games was a hot one - in more ways than one.

As temperatures rose towards the mid-30s with high humidity the drone athletes got their first look at the track, as part of the set-up and training day. 

After a morning's work of drone preparation and model processing, the 31 drone pilots were bussed from the athletes' village to the drone racing venue, at the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Athletics Field. 

Model processing

This two-year-old multi-purpose stadium complex is hosting several sports during The World Games and sits on the outskirts of the megacity Chengdu. The main stadium can hold 40,000 people, although the Drone Racing is being held in one of the smaller sports fields. 

"High pressure"

Competition manager Bruno Delor said he was thrilled to be here after working on the event for 16 months. "We had our first big meeting in August last year," he said.

And yes, the reality of it all did match his expectations, he added. "Actually yes. Especially the track. I put high pressure on the organiser about the importance of the track. And I am very pleased with the result."

Drone racing is one of the only sports where the track can be purpose built to create spectator-friendly shapes, and in the case of this competition that shape is the face of a giant panda. As a result it features a massive 44 obstacles. 

"We wanted to create something that pilots will appreciate, and also something that might represent something for the organiser. The panda is the mascot of The World Games," Delor said. Chengdu is home to the world's largest giant panda breeding programme and the black-and-white furry friend is loved by all in the city.

"Drone racing is the new generation. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see it here. I did not imagine this when we started drone racing in 2015 – the sport is only 10 years old," he continued.

Instant reactions

Athletes track walking through

In the mid-afternoon heat on the field athletes were getting to grips with the speed and flow of the track. Five hours of official training flights were held, with each pilot getting at least two fly-throughs.

WonKyun Choi from Korea was happy with his first test flight. "I was happy," he said, "I love this track!"

Latvia's Elmars Misevics also liked the track, which surprised him. "It's pretty good, I like it, but I'm surprised I like it. In the simulator some of the trajectories seemed a bit unreasonable but here it was great."

Is it fast? "It's long but yes, it will be fast round," he added.

Elmars Misevics of Latvia getting ready to fly the race track

Hungary's Roland Rontó however wasn't happy after his first test flight. "I made a tiny mistake and ended up on the ground but I got caught up in the cables and couldn't finish my three laps."

The track meanwhile was "different" to what "the average drone racer" practises for, although he was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt. "I'm not mad about it, it has some good technical aspects, but I don't hate it!"

Current Women's World Champion Luisa Rizzo had also found the first practise flight "quite difficult".

"It's very hot, with the sun right in front of us on the stage. The track is very technical, and the air in the atmosphere is very different to what I'm used to. So the drone flies differently too. I will have to find a new set-up to deal with that."

She explained that air with more humidity gives her a different feeling when flying the drone, when compared with drier air. "The feeling I have is the drone loses its power during the lines. I give power, but it's resistant."

She added she would prefer a track with "fewer obstacles and more linear lines" but was looking forward to competing on the panda track over the next three days.

Luisa Rizzo (ITA) during the Official Training

Finally, professional drone pilot and reigning World Games Champion Killian Rousseau from France was upbeat. "That was great! The track is huge and insane! There is one line where you cannot go too wide or too tight, so..." 

He added: "The first flight is all about figuring out your lines, so we'll fly again this evening. I did not crash, it was just nice. Love it!"

Killian Rousseau (FRA) looking at the track

Follow the competition

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

• FAI Facebook
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• 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