History notes borrowed from Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook, by Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff

Parachuting competition dates to at least 1930 in Russia, where jumpers demonstrated who could land closest to a target. In 1948, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale named American Joseph Crane to chair the newly established Commission Internationale de Parachutisme (CIP), now known in this country as the International Parachuting Commission (IPC). The first FAI sanctioned World Parachuting Championships took place in Yugoslavia in 1951, with five European teams competing. The U.S. fielded its first team to world competition in 1956.

In modern competition, the first 4-way sequential event was introduced at the 1970 U.S. National Skydiving Championships. Canopy formation was added in 1983. Canopy piloting became a medal event at the 2005 Nationals in Perris, California, and the most recent event, vertical formation skydiving, became official in 2007 when USPA included it in the national skydiving championships at Skydive Chicago in Illinois. Meanwhile, the original freefall style and accuracy landing events, often called the "classics," remain a part of each U.S. Nationals and World Championships.