125 pilots to compete in pre-paragliding World Cup

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, March 30

As many as 125 pilots from India, Spain, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, Macedonia, and Kazakhstan are expected to participate in the Pre-International Paragliding World Cup Accuracy Championship to be held in Bir-Billing from April 5 to 9.

Of these, 110 pilots have been confirmed for the competition. Besides, 10 pilots from the Indian Army will also compete in the paragliding championship.

The climate at Bir-Billing is considered to be the most suitable for paragliding. Various arrangements have been made to ensure safety of the pilots during the tournament.

Rs 1.5 lakh award for winner

• 110 pilots have confirmed participation in the contest
• 10 pilots of the Army will also compete the tournament
• The gold medallist will get a cash prize of Rs 1,50,000
• The first and second runners-up will get Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000, respectively
• A category prize of Rs 1 lakh for women was announced

A team from the Federation of Aeronautics and Paragliding World Cup Association will supervise and ensure that international standards are followed in the championship. It will also be responsible for evaluating and determining winners by fair means.

The gold medallist will receive a cash prize of Rs 1,50,000. The first and second runners-up will be awarded Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 75,000, respectively. The organisers have also announced a category prize of Rs 1,00,000 for women pilots.

Different teams or participants will showcase their paragliding skills along with the accuracy to land at a particular location to get more points. There are different chances for each pilot to do so and judges can examine it to give them points for their accuracy in landing.

“Joy rides, tandem paragliding or commercial flights have been cancelled from April 5 to April 9 during the championship,” said a senior officer of the state government at Bir yesterday. Meanwhile, adequate arrangements have also been made for the safety of the participants.

A team of experts has been deputed to check the documents and equipment of the paragliders. Insurance cover has been made mandatory for all the participants. The organisers will keep helicopters on standby at Bir, Army cantonment at Palampur, Manali and Uttarakhand, in case of any mishaps.

The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department, Aero Club of India, Paragliding World Cup Association, Paris, Pine and Sky Travel Private Limited, and Zee Himachal and Haryana are sponsoring the tournament.