 The first (unofficial) Paragliding World Championship was held in Verbier, Switzerland, in 1987, though the first officially sanctioned FAI World Paragliding Championship was held in Kössen, Austria, in 1989.Europe has seen the greatest growth in paragliding, with France alone registering in 2011 over 25,000 active pilots.The paraglider wing or canopy is usually what is known in engineering as a "ram-air airfoil".