The World Agility Open (WAO) is an annual international event designed to:

Provide the ultimate in dog agility competition, where speed, efficiency, and consistency are all necessary for success
Showcase the highest level of agility training, human/canine partnership, and athleticism
Acknowledge the dog as an athlete and equally important member of the agility partnership
Enable all dogs, whether pedigreed or not, to compete in an environment that is solely focused on the sport of agility
Promote the design of better and safer agility equipment, new technology to improve the sport, and better show management processes.

The WAO provides competitors with:

Jump height divisions where similar types of dogs compete against one another
An excellent competition running surface and show environment
Several different types of contests with maximum runs to adequately test teams for all the skill sets necessary to be the best in dog agility.

In the spirit of our goal to provide the ultimate in dog agility competition, the Individual winners from the prior year’s FCI Agility World Championships, European Open, FCI Agility Championship of the Américas y el Caribe, the All-Around winners from the prior year’s IFCS Agility Championships, and the three medal winners in each height division from the prior year’s World Agility Open Biathlon and Individual Pentathlon are automatically eligible for entry to the WAO regardless of whether their country submits an entry.

Held for the first time in 2011, the WAO is the first international agility event created and managed by agility competitors. It is not run under the auspices of any agility organisation. Without the encumbrance or politics of a large organisation where agility is not the only concern, the WAO organising committee can make decisions quickly and in the best interest of the event and the competitors. We welcome feedback from all participants so that the event can continue to evolve.

The official language of the WAO is English.