There are concerns about the safety of participants at paragliding world cup 2018. It is being held at world renowned Bir Billing site in Himachal Pradesh, from October 27 to November 3, 2018.
However, the Himachal Pradesh administration claims to have put in place world class rescue arrangements.The concerns have been aired following two fatal accidents of paraglider’s in the last few days.
Sub Divisional Magistrate at Baijnath Vikas Shukla told himachalwire,”There were two unfortunate fatal accidents recently. Flying was stopped for a day, to re-educate the pilots about the routes, duration and. the precautions. It is an adventure sport in which caution is a must.However, there are no glitches for the event to start.”
He assured that the world-class rescue arrangements are in place.The pilots will carry a smoke baton.Joining hands for the event ,the Indian army has assured the helicopter assistance .The competition site will have seven retrieval teams on the toes. Five ambulances will be parked there with the doctors and pharmacists. These are a few of the many safety measures which have been put in place.
Shukla also shared that due to prolonged monsoons, the air has moisture but this is the best time for the World Cup to be held in Billing. He further told, ”The thermals which are required to lift the gliders are best formed at this time of the year.”
Almost 10,000 flights take off from Billing in a year. It is the panoramic site ,set in the mighty Dhaluladhar mountains. Bir hosted its first world Paragliding World Cup in 2016. Since then, It has emerged as the hub of aero sports in the world, .Bir has reserved a permanent spot on the world map as a sports destinations. Interestingly the site was discovered by some European paraglider in the 1990’s. Since then the sport has picked up in the region to the international skies.
Billing is the next in order best site for paragliding in the world. The competition will kick off from twenty-seventh of October. About 150 pilots have registered form around the world. The entries have been received from both males as w
