Paragliding Accuracy World Cup kicks off from today

Published On: November 1, 2018 10:14 AM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel/Mohan Gurung

Photo: Mohan Gurung/Republica

SYANGJA/POKHARA, Nov 1: The Paragliding Accuracy World Cup (PGAWC) is being held from Thursday in Syangja. The tournament is being held for the first time in Nepal. Nearly 100 pilots from 21 nations have arrived in Syangja. The tournament will run for three days.

The tournament is being held at Bheerkot and Waling municipalities in western Nepal. The players will participate by taking the flight from Swarek of Bheerkot-5 (1577m) and will land at Waling-11 (800m).

Nepal Paragliding Association, Nepal Air Sports Association, and the Babu Adventure Club, Syangja have jointly organized the event with the coordination of the District Coordination Committee, Syangja.

Paragliding, which started commercially in Pokhara nearly 20 years ago, won the only medal for Nepal for the first time at the Asian Games in 20 years.

Coordinator of the paragliding competition management main committee and chief of the District Coordination Committee, Sita Sundas, said that the championship would help enhance Syangja district’s identity across the globe. She further said the championship would be an important occasion for publicizing the possibility of air sports in the country at the international level.

There will be three categories in the tournament, according to Shailendra Rawat, general secretary of Nepal Paragliding and Hanggliding Association. The three categories of the tournament are overall, women and team events.

The winner, runner-up and the third-placed team of overall category will receive 1,000 euro (Rs 133,707), 750 euro (Rs 100,280) and 500 euro (Rs 66,853) respectively, while the winner, runner-up and the third-placed team of the team event will be rewarded with 1,500 euro (Rs 200,561), 1,200 euro (Rs 160,448) and 700 euro (Rs 93,595) respectively.

The completion is being organized with a view to increasing the number of paragliders in the Nepal Tourism Year 2020, said Shailendra Rawat, General Secretary of Nepal Paragliding Hand-gliding Association.