Jumpers rehearse for world c'ships

Jumpers rehearse for world c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Diamonds mushrooming in the sky above the Lido
resort in Bogor, West Java, since Monday have hailed the advent
of the sixth World Parachuting Championships in Canopy Formation,
scheduled for June 14 to 24.

"German and Australian parachutists have been rehearsing since
Monday," the championships' program coordinator Akhmed Solihin
told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

He said he received a call from Lido informing him that the
aerialists had to be patient waiting for their turns because
there was only one aircraft available.

"Tomorrow we will have two," he added quickly. The aircraft in
question is a turbo-propelled Pilatus Porter which can carry up
to 10 passengers.

By yesterday, 18 foreign parachutists had arrived in Jakarta.
Nine are Germans who arrived on Sunday, the others are
Australians, who touched down on Monday.

A total of 180 foreign participants consisting of 13 judges,
parachutists and escorts have confirmed their participation,
organizers said.

Parachutists from the world's aerial sporting giants, the
United States and France, are scheduled to arrive today, Solihin
said. The other nations expected to be represented include
Russia, Italy, the Netherlands, England, Finland, New Zealand,
Switzerland, Canada, South Africa and Malaysia.

The world championships in canopy formation, held every other
year, features three events: four-way rotation (four jumpers
rotating in vertical formation as frequently as possible within
120 seconds), four-way sequential (four jumpers making as many
formations as possible within 180 seconds) and eight-way speed
formation (eight jumpers making a formation as quickly as
possible within 120 seconds).

Indonesia, hosting this world championships for the first
time, will take part in all the three events even though its
parachutists are only very familiar with the four-way rotation.

It finished seventh out of 15 teams participating in the four-
way rotation event at the 1990 world championships in Chiang Mai,
Thailand. In the 1994 championships in Brisbane, Australia,
Indonesia came 15th, three places off from the bottom.

"This time, however, we aim to finish in the middle," Solihin
said.

Indonesia was chosen to host the championships at an annual
meeting of the world aerosport body, FAI, and the International
Parachuting Commission in Agra, India, in February 1994. (arf)