Since 2009, people from the UAE have had the opportunity to watch a comparatively fresh sport of skydiving at the Sky Dive facility at the edge of The Palm Jumeirah. Six years later, Dubai will play host to the fourth edition of the World Air Games (WAG) – considered the Olympics of air sports – from December 1-12. There will be four different drop zones with the Sky Dive facility as the main venue. The nearly two-week long competition will be held in 26 different disciplines with a couple of sub-sections being held at the ice rink of the Dubai Mall on November 30 and December 1. With more than 1,200 participants confirmed to attend, a competition of this scale will have its challenges, as Championship Director Yousuf Al Hammadi tells Gulf News.
Visitors to the Dubai Mall will get a glimpse of happenings in the world of air sports when the aero-modelling competitions will be held at the ice rink on November 30 and December 1. Organisers, led by Yousuf Al Hammadi said that the move is being made to bring the World Air Games (WAG) closer to the people.
The ice rink has been set aside from 7.30pm on both days with competitors from the world showcasing their skills in four different categories of aero-modelling.
“One of the most important ingredients for the success of any event is participation from the people. We want residents from the UAE and visitors to our country to come and have an enjoyable weekend just before we start the UAE National Day celebrations,” Al Hammadi told Gulf News.
“Besides the ice rink there are four other locations, namely Sky Dive Dubai Marina, Margham along the Al Ain road, Al Sufouh beach and Jebel Ali. People can go to any of these four spots and enjoy the sport,” he added.
GULF NEWS: Can you trace the origins of skydiving and air games in the UAE?
YOUSUF AL HAMMADI: The entire initiative came from Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council. His aim was to put Dubai on the world map by attracting some of the best sky-divers from across the world. And so we set out on this mission as envisioned by Shaikh Hamdan. Initially, he had requested us to check the Burj Al Arab area for hosting various air games competitions. After carrying out a survey we found that even though the spot was beautiful we did not have adequate area that would facilitate various air sports. One day Shaikh Hamdan spotted the current while flying over and that is how Sky Dive Dubai was born. Our first challenge was to get the venue ready. The only thing existing in that piece of land was an old caravan that was in a very bad state. Today this caravan houses our main office at Sky Dive Dubai.
What were the challenges you spoke about?
Dubai always has a name for being different from any other place. It was this yearning for something new and innovative that led us to pursue this project with zeal and enthusiasm. Our first challenge was to get a custom-made water pond ready for canopy piloting competitions. Normally there has to be a four-week period to retain the water in the pond, and we had just 40 days before the start of the competition. Still we went ahead and built the water trough by working overtime, after which we had a panel of experts conduct an inspection to make sure all facilities were up to FAI standards.
How did the venue and the competitions evolve?
The first competition [the Dubai International Parachuting Championship] was in January 2010 and we had more than 375 participants from 37 countries. The next year the event became a little bigger. Slowly our ambitions started growing. We started thinking of building a strip and a runway. In fact we had used helicopters for the first competition in 2010, but by the third competition we had a strip of 425 metres running diagonal. Then came our turn to host the Mondial. And once again, Dubai stood out with more than 1,600 competitors attending – making it one of the biggest competitions in the history of skydiving, since 1957. We built a runway over the water and this is the only runway over water in the region.
Where does the World Air Games (WAG) figure?
Since the past three years now we have been working hard for WAG. It has never been easy since the start, but we have just managed to hang in there. We are now close to the operational part of perhaps the biggest and best WAG in the history of FAI. Organising WAG is so much part of what we stand for in Dubai as we continue to innovate and set new trends.
What do you wish to achieve through organising WAG?
We want to reach out to sport and to the people in our own unique and distinct way. We call this the ‘Dubai identity’. This time too we have integrated new things into the sport. It gives us great pride to think that we have achieved so many things in such a short time that some countries can only dream of. Our sport has grown all over the world due to Dubai’s involvement. Initially air sports were restricted to a few countries. But now it has become a more international sport. Now more and more countries have seen the benefits of our sport and embraced it willingly. They understand what skydiving is and what parachuting is. Ultimately, our goal is to create an honest legacy, not just for the Games, but for our country as well.
Does an event like WAG have the power to change the UAE?
This year we have the biggest air sports event in the world. Dubai standard is now the highest in the world. I am talking about the quality and professionalism we follow while organizing events. Our leaders are the examples before us. Shaikh Hamdan is a genuine sportsman and when you have leaders like him to show you the way, things are quite easy and then nothing is impossible.
What would you want the WAG to be remembered for?
Any event that we organize is not because of what the actual competition gives to the place. Any event is like an excuse to meet new people. Visitors come to our country to see us and live with us, share our culture and heritage. We believe in this and this is our aim and objective. For the first time, we are organizing the ‘Aero Medical Symosium at the Meydan Hotel on December 4-5. This will be the first time that any one is organizing such an event, where we are bringing in some of the best experts and doctors to attend and speak at the symposium.
What about local involvement in air sports?
The changes have been big since 2009. Today we have local teams in the male and female categories, who travel around the world, participate and win gold medals at various competitions. These are our ambassadors. I am proud of these youngsters as they have achieved this feat in a mere five years. This shows their dedication. The WAG will bring out the best from our youngsters as they will be competing against the best from the world. This is the biggest stage and they realize they need to shine.
What is in store for the future?
Our ambitions never stop. We like to take up fresh challendges. We have already lined up bids for other big events of this nature in the future, and we will disclose these when the time is right. One thing is certain: we will always be looking for something new and innovative as this brings in new challenges along with it.
