Dubai: France, Russia and the UAE dominated as the Fifth Dubai International Parachuting Championships (DIPC) got under way at Skydive Dubai on The Palm on Friday.
With wind playing a crucial role with a strong drift, the start of the competition was delayed a bit in the morning. But once it got under way with a huge holiday crowd taking in the sights, the competition was fast and furious.
After four rounds of the maximum ten in the Formation Skydiving 4-way female, France was in the lead with a total score of 68 points and an average of 17. The UAE and the USA were tied in second place with a total of 52 and an average of 13, while Russia was hot in the chase of the top three with a total of 51 points for an average of 12.75.
France was doing well in the Canopy Formation 2-way Sequential with their two teams occupying the top two slots with scores of 32 and 29 respectively. Russia was in third with a score of 27 followed by Sweden and the USA in fourth and fifth respectively.
In the Artistic Freefly competition, the Russian trio of Mikhail Razomazov, Aleksandr Ragulin and Valeriy Konnov were at the top of the standings with 35 points after three jumps. The UAE team of Bradley Merritt, Emma Merritt and Nicholas Scalabrino were in second place with a total of 31.9 points followed by France in third with a total of 31.1 points.
Earlier, the opening ceremony was attended by Prince Hashem Bin Hussain of Jordan, Shaikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum, Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), along with a host of other dignitaries.
“Dubai is constantly changing and each year, therefore it is a fresh challenge for us to deliver a bigger and better competition in keeping with the evolution of our city,” Nasser Al Neyadi, President, Emirates Aerosports Federation (EAF), said in his opening remarks.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman Dubai Sports Council (DSC), nearly 1,000 participants from 43 countries are involved in this year’s competition that will run until December 7.
As usual, this annual championships will coincide with the UAE National Day celebrations. “For us this competition is a means to show Dubai to the world. We are a modern city and at the same time we value our heritage,” he added.
This year, the organisers have included a new competition, the ‘Team Canopy Piloting’ event, that will have one team per nation consisting of three competitors out of the maximum of eight Canopy Piloting nominees.
