PESHAWAR: Sindh pilots dominated the three-day National Paragliding Championship which concluded in Upper Chitral on Sunday evening with Mir Usman from Sindh emerged victorious.
The championship was organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department, Pakistan Paragliding Association and District Administration Upper Chitral with the aim to promote tourism and paragliding. In accuracy landing, Karachi-based pilot Mir Usman landed at the designated place from a height of 12,800 feet and was entitled to the first position. Other members of Sindh team included Sana Amin Jan, Usman Mir Ali, Abdullah Jan and Ahmed Ali.
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Young athletes from all over the country took part in the National Championship while Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub also reached Zeni Pass for paragliding competition. Ayub participated in paragliding competitions along with other athletes. A total of 100 pilots from all over Pakistan participated in the championship. The pilots started flights from an altitude of (4000) meters and landed in Qaqlisht. “The purpose of the event was to promote Upper Chitral as a tourist destination with a focus on the aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism,” the KP culture and tourism authority said in a press statement.
Chitral: Paragliding paradise
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s remote mountainous district of Chitral is considered the most suitable area for Aero sports and foreign tourists rightly called Chitral a “paragliding paradise”. The sport usually involves flying from a small or high place on a mountain by a large parachute.
A club called “Hindu Kush Association for Paragliding” has also been set up in Chitral to promote this sport. Many local festivals are held in Chitral every year in which foreign tourists show special interests. The president of the club, Prince Farhad Aziz, said that Chitral’s topography is so suited to paragliding that it has attracted international enthusiasts in large numbers to surf the air above Chitral mountains which has sparked interest among the locals youth around 2005 onwards.
