150 parachutists to join int'l meet here
150 parachutists to join int'l meet here
JAKARTA (JP): At least 150 parachutists from 17 countries will
be competing in the Sixth World Parachuting Championships at Lido
Lake, Bogor, West Java, just before the Indonesian Air Show.
Organizers of the championships expect 20 countries will take
part in the championships.
"We're still waiting confirmation from Thailand, Singapore and
the Philippines. We would also like to see South Korea
competing," said Dody Trianto, general secretary of the
organizer.
The United States, Russia, Canada, England, France, China,
Malaysia, South Africa, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia,
France, Germany, China, Switzerland, Italy and host Indonesia
have already confirmed participation in the 10-day championships
to be held from June 14 to 24.
The organizers have invited 15 international referees for the
championships.
The Indonesia Air Show will take place at the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport from June 22 to 10.
Dody said that two teams, comprised of members of the Army and
Air Force special forces, have been practicing at Lido Lake. They
will leave for Malaysia today to take part in the Malaysia Open
parachuting championships.
A team from the Aves Club in Bandung, West Java, is still on
an overseas stint in the United States. The team, one of the
country's leading skydiving clubs, is expected to return home
today.
The championships will feature four-way rotation, four-way
sequential and eight-way formation events. The organizers will
provide a Pilatus plane from the Indonesian Air Force.
Indonesia was elected the host of the world canopy relative
work championships by The Federation Aeronautique Internationale,
the world aerosport controlling body, because the country
successfully hosted a world parachuting event in Bali in 1989 and
in Jakarta two years later.
Dody said that the organizers plan to hold a bogey-jump event
at the Prambanan and Borobudur Temples in Central Java. A similar
event, in which the public can go bogey jumping with
parachutists, was held during the parachuting meet in Bali four
years ago.
"There was a plan to involve all championships participants in
the opening ceremony of the Indonesia Air Show. Unfortunately,
the ceremony will be held at the same time as the final round of
the championships," Dody said.
"Maybe they can perform on June 26, when the show is open for
the public. But until now, we haven't heard from the show
organizers," he said. (yan)