SHILLONG, Nov 21: The maiden “Open Paragliding Accuracy Championship Asian League”, being organised by the Meghalaya Aero and Adventure Sports Association (MAASA), will be held at Rapleng village in East Khasi Hills from December 7-10.
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) India member Raju Rai told reporters on Monday that the objective behind organising the mega competition in Meghalaya is to promote adventure tourism in the state as its natural landscape is ideal for adventure sports.
Stating that this is for the first time the championship is being organised in India, Rai, who is also the chief judge of the championship, said the winners will qualify for next year’s Asian League in Thailand.
“As per the FAI, a maximum of 100 pilots will be allowed to take part in the championship. But as of today, over 143 national and international pilots have registered with the MAASA,” he said.
The FAI India member said given the overwhelming response, they decided to allow 110 pilots to take part in the championship. Meghalaya is one of the best places to organize such a mega event in paragliding, he said.
MAASA president Desmond Nongkhlaw said they have so far received Rs 25 lakh to organise the championship.
“We are in talks with the state government to increase the funding, so we can organise the competition in an impressive manner and provide training to the local youth,” Nongkhlaw said.
According to him, they are currently training 32 local youth at Madan Rapleng East Khasi and this initiative is being sponsored by the Meghalaya Skill Development Society. “We will be training these youth for two to three years to be able to take part in various competitions,” Nongkhlaw said.
He said the youth being trained will also help promote adventure tourism, especially in rural areas. The state is blessed with beautiful landscape and hilly terrain, whether it is in West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills or Ri-Bhoi, he added.
