Huge congratulations to our candidate Luisa Rizzo of Italy, the first runner-up in The World Games Athlete of the Year 2023 poll. With over 50,000 votes, this represents the most outstanding performance by an Air Sports athlete in The World Games Athlete of the Year poll! The FAI is thrilled with the visibility Luisa has generated for drone racing and air sports overall. Thank you to Luisa and all those who voted for her!

FAI also congratulates Bolivia’s Conrrado Moscoso (28), the winner of The World Games Athlete of the Year award, and Germany’s Marius-Andrei Balan (33) and Khrystyna Moshenska (34), nominated in the Latin dance discipline, from the DanceSport category, who reached the third and fourth positions. 

For 21-year-old Luisa Rizzo, flying her FPV drone at speeds of over 160km/h around an intricate obstacle course is much more than a simple hobby. The remarkable Italian pilot came third in the FAI World Drone Racing Championships in Namwon, Korea in 2023.

Happy about her second place, Luisa said:

“I am delighted with this final result. It is a great honour, not only for me but for the entire air sports community, to receive this distinction. It was thrilling to follow the voting evolution since the start of the year, and I had no idea that I was going to get so much support from The World Games community. I am endlessly grateful for the mobilisation and encouragement, and I wish I knew who voted for me, in order to thank them one by one. I would also like to thank IWGA for their promotion of non-Olympic Games Sports.”

FAI President David Monks echoed the young athlete’s excitement:

“We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Luisa Rizzo for her second place. The depth of her talent and outstanding performances in one of our disciplines is undeniable and brings us all together. We are honoured that she gets to be recognised in her specific field.”