World's top paraglider pilots take flight over iconic UAE landscapes

Dubai: Forty of the world's best hike-and-fly racers from 16 countries will gather tomorrow, 3rd November, for the UAE Hike and Fly International Championship.

The world's top paraglider pilots will take to the UAE skies, jumping from skyscrapers, flying through the Hajar Mountains and skimming the sand dunes as they take part in the second UAE Hike and Fly Championship. Combining daredevil paragliding with strenuous hiking, the top Hike and Fly athletes will be tested to their limits, from their physical capabilities to their technical skills.

Organised by the Emirates Aerosports Federation in partnership with Dubai Sports Council under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the eight-day competition will feature five legs across the three emirates of Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Dubai as the final destination.

Yousef Al Hammadi, Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Aerosports Federation, told a press conference today that the competition will start tomorrow in Jumeirah in Dubai then travel to Ras Al Khaimah which will host two rounds in Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest mountain, and Jebel Yanas next Sunday and Monday respectively and to Jebel Faya in Sharjah on Wednesday.

The fifth and final leg will take place in Hatta on 11th November, he said.