Himachal postpones paragliding event

SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh has postponed the paragliding championship of next week following requests by foreign participants, an official said Thursday.

The four-day championship will now be held from Nov 11 in Bir-Billing in Kangra district, Suman Rawat, the youth services and sports department joint director, told IANS.

She said the championship was delayed mainly due to the request of foreign pilots. Of course, there were some logistic problems too, she added.

Most pilots complained that due to the ban on flying (in Bir-Billing) during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi (Oct 3-14), they were not able to practice, she said.

Rawat said even the organisers were busy in Delhi during the Games, and they were not able to complete all the arrangements regarding the event.

Sheltered by mountains and surrounded by rolling tea gardens, Bir-Billing, at a height of 2,290 metres, is considered one of the finest aero-sports sites in the world. It is around 390 km away from New Delhi.

She said more than 50 gliders from the US, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand and Britain are expected to take part in the event.