The heedlessness of the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) has put the wings of the Indian human birds( bir-billing paragliders) on fire. It has dropped the list of five pilots submitted by the Aero Club Of India(ACI) on the pretext of paragliding being a lesser known sport. The Olympic Council of Asia(OCA) pronounced prior in 2016 to avow the debut of paragliding in their next event. That is the Asian games 2018. They will start off in the month of August in Indonesia. The eleventh-hour entry forwarded by the Aero Club of India (ACI) was rejected by IOA. They have chosen to ignore it, putting it in the category of lesser-known sport in India.
We’ll! The humor in it is that India has played a host to the Paragliding World Cup only three years back which was in 2015.Our pilots have won ranks and made the heat of their skill felt to their international competitors. The then union minister of civil Aviation P Ganpati Raju flagged off the event. Even this could not register the caliber of this sports in IOA ’s memory.
It puffed off the case. It is a loss of face for the sate as well as the nation.IOA played a spoil sport to the sport which brought the paragliding world cup to the pint-sized vicinity in Himachal. The desolation is that it got hog-tied without a decent hearing. In the year 2013 Bir, the teeny village in Himachal hosted the pre Olympics. It was after the gratifying performance that it qualified to become the site for the world cup 2015 of the same sports. The neighborhood boys with their limited means made their mark and won ranks. But due to the amnesia of the authorities, they have missed their first chance to perform in the international skies. The state government could have mediated and intervened to desist the situation.
Paragliding is the glamour of the state .The new formed government’s exercise to explore new avenues have jolted the goldmine. The politicians speak of boosting tourism and pumping the revenues but their homework lacks preparation.
The majority of the tourist visiting Himachal takes back their piece of sky in their camera roles. It is the paragliding which gives Himachal tourism the international stage. The need is to acknowledge and promote what we already have than to invest in absolute new ventures.
Arvind Paul is a paraglider from the Bir Paragliding Association . He was one of the proposed nominees for the Asian games.Arvind is one of the rank holders in the paragliding events. While speaking with himachalwire.in, he said, ”All the five pilots selected are ace pilots. We were looking forward to participate in Asian Games. It is disappointing to know that IOA does not recognize paragliding as a known sport in India”.
This place Bir -Billing has made its place on the international map.It attracts the gliders from across the globe. The local pilots get international exposer and tips from them. They fly regularly and maintain their game. The participation in the events organized nationally keeps them in the best form. The fear of losing can not justify, declining their participation. Involvement in sports is the quick fix to curb drug menace. The state government should focus on promoting the sports culture.
