1997 World Air Games (1997 WAG) was an international competition of air sports, held between September 15–21, 1997 in Selçuk, Turkey, hosted by Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK). It was the first of World Air Games organized by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (World Air Sports Federation - FAI) once every four years. The games marked the first time more than 3000 participants from 60 countries took part in 16 different championship categories at 7 different locations at the same time.
Participation
Out of about 80 FAI members, 60 countries took part in the 1997 WAG, with 1714 athletes and 3183 participants. The list of participating countries is as follows:
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Competitions
The first World Air Games consisted of competitions in the following categories:
Parachuting
- 1st World Parachuting Championships in Freestyle and Skysurfing
- 12th World Parachuting Championships in Formation Skydiving
- 9th World Cup of Parachuting Champions in Style and Accuracy
Competitions were held in THK Selçuk (Ephesus) Training Center near Selçuk-Ephesus. 10,408 jumps and 707 sorties have been made.
Air race and general aviation
- 10th World Air Rally Flying Championships
- 1st World Air Games Long Range Air Race
- 1,640 flight hours were flown with 42 aircraft and 513 sorties.
Gliding
- 1st World Gliding Championship in World Class
In the part held in THK İnönü Training Center in İnönü, Eskişehir, 319 flights were flown by gliders. The aircraft made 268 sorties of retrieval with a total flight time of 83 hours. In Antalya - Karain airport 260 sorties have been made with gliders.
Aerobatics
- 7th World Glider Aerobatic Championships
- Europeans Unlimited Aerobatics Championships
Held in Antalya - Karain airport with 228 sorties.
Aeromodelling
- World Championship in Class F3B
- World Championship in Class F3C
- World Cup in Classes F1A, F1B, F1C for seniors
- European Aeromodelling Championships in Classes F1A, F1B, F1J for juniors
- European Aeromodelling Championships in Classes S1B, S3A, S5C, S6A, S7, S8E
Microlight
- 1st World Air Games Microlight Championships
Held in Aydın, with 22 hours of flight with ultralights.
Hang gliding
- 1st World Air Games Hang gliding Championships
Held in Aydın, with 53 hours of flight with powered hang gliders. In Denizli - Pamukkale, 699 flights were completed in hang gliding.
Paragliding
- 1st World Air Games Paragliding Championships
Held in Aydın, with 28 hours of flight with powered paragliders. In Denizli - Pamukkale, 1,040 flights were completed in paragliding.
Ballooning
- 1st World Air Games Ballooning Championship
Held in Cappadocia region with 868 hours balloon flight with 62 balloons and 7 hours flight time.
Results
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russia | 17 | 12 | 9 | 38 |
| 2 |  France | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 |
| 3 |  United States | 8 | 7 | 4 | 19 |
| 4 |  Germany | 8 | 6 | 3 | 17 |
| 5 |  Poland | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 |  Great Britain | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 7 |  Slovakia | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 8 |  Ukraine | 3 | 10 | 5 | 18 |
| 9 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Switzerland | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 |  Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 11 |  Czech Republic | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 12 |  Hungary | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 13 |  Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Totals (13 entries) | 67 | 67 | 52 | 186 | |