Pacific Cup
Since 1984, when the competition turned out to be called 'Saga International Balloon Fiesta', the trophy 'Pacific Cup' has been awarded to the person who made the highest rank. This Pacific Cup has been held every year except FAI World Hot Air Balloon Championship in 1997 and 2016 and the pre competition for the world championship in 2015.
The main point of the competition used to be how Japanese pilots could get closer to veteran pilots from overseas. Recently, Japanese pilots stand dominating high ranking.
History of Pacific Cup and Successive Champions
| Time | Year | Balloons | Champion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1984 | 33 balloons (Overseas 10) |
 Josef STARKBAUM |
|
| 2nd | 1985 | 30 balloons (Overseas 10) |
 Tomas FELIU |
|
| 3rd | 1986 | 83 balloons (Overseas 30) |
 Owen KEOWN |
|
| 4th | 1987 | 58 balloons (Overseas 12) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 5th | 1988 | 82 balloons (Overseas 20) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 6th | 1989 | 23 balloos (Overseas 5) |
 Hirohisa TAKAMOTO |
Fiesta |
| 7th | 1990 | 82 balloons (Overseas 34) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 8th | 1991 | 98 balloons (Overseas 34) |
David BAREFORD |
|
| 9th | 1992 | 112 balloos (Overseas 40 / 16 countries) |
David BAREFORD |
|
| 10th | 1993 | 110 balloons (Overseas 34 / 15 countries) |
Yasuhiko ASAOKA |
|
| 11th | 1994 | 101 balloons (Overseas 33 / 14 countries) |
Kazuhiko NISHIMURA |
|
| 12th | 1995 | 100 balloons (Overseas 34 / 15 countries) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 13th | 1996 | 105 balloons (Overseas 39 / 15 countries) |
 Uwe SCHNEIDER |
|
| 14th | 1998 | 78 balloons (Overseas 21 / 10 countries) |
Yoshihiro MASUMOTO |
|
| 15th | 1999 | 100 balloons (Overseas 35 / 12 countries) |
 MOLNAR Csaba |
|
| 16th | 2000 | 89 balloons (Overseas 30 / 12 countries) |
Masahiko FUJITA |
|
| 17th | 2001 | 91 balloons (Overseas 34 / 18 countries) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 18th | 2002 | 83 balloons (Overseas 28 / 12countries) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 19th | 2003 | 77 balloons (Overseas 29 / 11 countries) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 20th | 2004 | 79 balloons (Overseas 28 / 12 countries) |
Takao MIZUKAMI |
|
| 21st | 2005 | 73 balloons (Overseas 24 / 13 countries) |
Takao MIZUKAMI |
|
| 22nd | 2006 | 83 balloons (Overseas 28 / 12 countries) |
Takao MIZUKAMI |
|
| 23rd | 2007 | 72 balloons (Overseas 19 / 11 countries) |
Nemeth ZOLTAN |
|
| 24th | 2008 | 62 baloons (Overseas 17 / 10 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 25th | 2009 | 63 balloons (Overseas 16 / 10 countries) |
Owen KEOWN |
|
| 26th | 2010 | 65 balloons (Overseas 18 / 11 countries) |
Kazuyasu ISAKARI |
|
| 27th | 2011 | 54 balloons (Overseas 17 / 12 countries) |
Zoltan NEMETH |
|
| 28th | 2012 | 58 balloons (Overseas 14 / 12 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 29th | 2013 | 61balloons (Overseas 16 / 12 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 30th | 2014 | 68 balloons (Overseas 28 / 13 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 31st | 2017 | 62 balloons (Overseas 23 / 14 countries) |
Satoshi UEDA |
|
| 32nd | 2018 | 67 balloons (Overseas 19 / 12 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 33rd | 2019 | 68 balloons (Overseas 18 / 11 countries) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 34th | 2020 | (Canceled due to COVID-19) | ||
| 35th | 2021 | 51 balloons (Only Japanese Balloons) |
Satoshi UEDA |
|
| 36th | 2022 | 53 balloons (Only Japanese Balloons) |
Yudai FUJITA |
|
| 37th | 2023 | 73 balloons (Overseas 18 / 16 countries) |
Rhett HEARTSILL |
Japanese site
Last Modified: 2023.11.08
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