First task of AAI Paragliding World Cup cancelled due to bad weather
Vijyender Sharma
DHARMSHALA-- On a day when the weather gods played truant, the AAI Paragliding World Cup was lit up by the presence of Bollywood diva, Preity Zinta. "I belong to Himachal Pradesh and it gives me great pleasure to come to the Paragliding World Cup. I wish all the pilots taking part in the competition very enjoyable and safe flights," said Zinta before leaping off the mountain for a tandem flight much to the delight of those present.
Earlier in the day, heavy cloud cover forced the organisers to cancel the first task of the AAI Paragliding World Cup that involved a flight path of 53km. "We cancelled the first task of the meet in the interest of the safety because the weather today was not conducive for flying," said spokesperson of the task committee.
As per the rules of the Paragliding World Cup, a minimum of two tasks are mandatory for the calculation of points. According to weather reports, the cloud cover is likely to remain heavy on even tomorrow. With the cancellation of the today's task, the AAI Paragliding World Cup will now be contested over six tasks according to the office of the meet director, Debu Choudhury.
About Billing Paragliding Association
The Billing Paragliding Association formed in 2006 had successfully organised the Pre-World Cup of Paragliding at the same venue in 2013 to test the waters with extremely encouraging results and great response, which paved the way for the World Cup to be brought here.
The BPA is the only organization recognised by Aero Club of India, which in turn is the only body recognised by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the governing world body for air sports, and the Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA). The FAI was formed in 1905.
As a competitive sport, Paragliding has already featured in some Games like the South-East Asian Games and the Asian Beach Games. Paragliding was also short-listed in the initial list of new events for the 2020 Olympics, but will now be considered for the 2024 Olympic Games.
About Bir Billing
Bir Billing is considered the second best paragliding spot in the world and steps have been taken to develop infrastructure of international standards for the championship. The take-off and landing areas are being completely redone, and state-of-the-art facilities are being built for the paragliders, officials and spectators alike.
About Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the Title Sponsors and will actively promote the sport and the event through various avenues and platforms to be announced soon. The AAI has also taken up the task of promoting Adventure Sports and help build an additional avenue for Tourism.
About 130 of the best paragliders, including those in World's Top-5, from over 40 countries are set to participate in the championship, which will put India firmly on the global paragliding map.
During the week-long tournament, the edge of competitive sport during the day will give way for some fun and frolic in the evenings, with specially-themed programmes being planned for each evening. The gala opening and the closing ceremonies promise to be extravaganzas, adding their own colour to the World Cup.
Photograph 1: Preity Zinta and Mr. Sudhir Sharma, President Billing Paragliding Association and also Minister for
Urban Development, Housing and Town
& Country Planning,Himachal Pradesh at the ongoing AAI Paragliding World Cup at Bir Billing.
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