Parachuting event promises rich fare

Dubai: The local Higher Organising Committee (HOC) for the 2012 Mondial FAI World Parachuting Championships has promised a top-level competition at the end of the year.

"We are committed to hosting a competition that is of the highest level and we can promise you only the best," Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the local HOC, told members at its first meeting last week.

The 2012 Mondial FAI World Parachuting Championships will be held from November 29 to December 10 in Dubai under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.

The international calendar of skydiving events is organised by the International Parachuting Commission (IPC) of the World Air Sports Federation (FAI) with the World Championships hosted once every two years, alternating with the World Cup.

The 2012 Mondial FAI World Parachuting Championships will consist of competitions in various categories including Freestyle Skydiving, 2-Way Sequential, 4-Way Rotation and 8-Way event based on accuracy, distance and speed of the skydivers.

‘Patronage and support'

Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been nominated as the Championship Director. "We are forever grateful to Shaikh Hamdan for his patronage and support for the championships, along with his constant care for the sports sector in the UAE," Al Tayer said.

"We are committed to a World Championships that will be the best. The advantage we have is that we have time till the end of the year and our intention is to attract the biggest number of competitors from across the world," he added.

The organisers are expecting a record 1,000 competitors from nearly 50 countries for this year's championships. Last year, Dubai played host to the SkyDive Dubai Championships that attracted participants from 43 countries.

"This will be the biggest sporting event of the year," promised Saif Al Ketbi, Deputy Chairman of the local HOC.