In article , Pat Russell
writes

In principle this has always been possible because FAI and IGC (rightly)
cannot control criteria for events and flights for which the rules are
made by the National body.

This is true, but it does not apply to your exampe, below:

For example, one of Jim Payne's USA 100 km triangle records was for a
time at a faster speed than the world record. This was because of
different criteria on the shape of triangles.

In fact, the criteria were identical when the flight took place.

The IGC criteria changed after the flight, specifically for the
purpose of disapproving it.

I think that is a bit hard. What happened was a difference in
interpretation of the then Sporting Code rule on triangle shape, the SSA
one was more generous than that of IGC. For the world record the matter
went to FAI arbitration via a Tribunal called by the President of the
FAI Air Sport General Commission (CASI). Personally, I was all for
approving it as a world record and gave evidence to the Tribunal to that
effect, as, I think did Bernald Smith on behalf of the SSA. However,
the decision went the other way. That's life!

So it is merely factual that for a while, until Jim Payne did an even
faster flight, the US 100k triangle record was in excess of the world
record.

This confirms my point that it is not possible for IGC/FAI to control
flights for which the evidence and interpretation is to National rules
and procedures rather than those of the IGC and FAI.

--
Ian Strachan