The north-eastern region of India is fast becoming a hub of various adventure activities including paragliding. It is perhaps the awareness of this fact that led to Sikkim being chosen as the venue for the International Paragliding competition to be held in the month of December. Being organized under the aegis of Sikkim Paragliding Association (SPA), this first international competition will be held in Gangtok from 17th to 21st December. With an estimated participation of 125 national and foreign para-gliders, this Sikkim Paragliding Red Panda International Accuracy Open Championship is expected to put this small hill state on the international paragliding map.
About 125 paragliders from the country and abroad are expected to take part in 1st Sikkim Paragliding Red Panda International Accuracy Open Championship, which is a first of its kind in the region, including Kalimpong and Darjeeling, where paragliding is gaining popularity as part of adventure tourism.
Para-Gliding Through The Winds, Just Like Bir-d billing
An Overview Of The Competition
The competition, which is the first of its kind in the region, has been endorsed by the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI). The competition will see the paragliders flying off from the Anee Gumba hill top, which is situated at a height of 1450m from sea level. They will then be required to land at the sports complex ground of Khel Gaon, located in Reshithang, at a distance of 15 kms from Gangtok.
Each participant will get 6 attempts to land accurately at the designated spot while covering the aerial distance of 1km form the take off point to the landing point. They will be judged on the basis of their precision of landing and consistency.
The competition will be organized across three categories of men, women and teams. The top three position holders in each category will be felicitated with a trophy and a cash prize. The participants can register for the competition by registering themselves on skpa.org and making a payment of 150 Euros.
A Great Opportunity For Gliders In India
Around 70% of the participants in the competition will be coming from different parts of India. It will provide them with the right platform to showcase their skill and rub shoulders with some of the most renowned professionals in the field. In addition, the competition will also provide the abundant raw talent in the north-eastern region with a platform to learn more about their favourite sport and even enjoy it. With the possibility of including paragliding being included in the Asian Games, the competition will provide a great opportunity to harness the talent in this field enhance the prospect of India in this sport on an international level.
About The Sport
Paragliding is an enthralling and fun filled adventure sport that enables the participants to enjoy the fun of roaming in the skies like a free bird. Many gliding enthusiasts find the activity to be extremely enriching and relaxing as they are able to experience the true majesty of nature from high above. As they take in the bird’s eye view of the vast vistas spread beneath them, they come to terms with their own insignificance in the whole schema of things. However, in order to truly enjoy the sport, it is essential for the participants to adhere to the instructions and guidelines provided by the instructors during the pre-flight training sessions. This not only helps in reducing the risk associated with this amazing sport but also enables the participants to enjoy it to the fullest.
