As per the rules of the Paragliding World Cup, a minimum of two tasks are mandatory for the calculation of points
Bir-Billing: Actress Priety Zinta clicks selfie with the Indian team at the ongoing Paragliding World Cup at Bir Billing, Himachal Pradesh. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi: With bad weather playing spoilsport, 130 partcipating pilots at the AAI Paragliding World Cup and localites were lit up by the presence of Bollywood star Preity Zinta who visited Bir-Billing, Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday.
"I belong to Himachal Pradesh and it gives me great pleasure to come to the Paragliding World Cup. I wish all the pilots taking part in the competition very enjoyable and safe flights," said Zinta before leaping off the mountain for a tandem flight much to the delight of those present.
On the day, heavy cloud cover forced the organisers to cancel the first task of the World Cup that involved a flight path of 53 kilometres. "We cancelled the first task of the meet in the interest of the pilots’ safety because the weather was not conducive for flying," said a spokesperson of the task committee.
Earlier, the AAI Paragliding World Cup got under way with Union minister of civil aviation P. Gajapati Raju, flagging off the pilots from the Billing launch site for the official practice on Saturday. Despite slightly overcast conditions, the pilots took to the skies amidst cheers from the crowd who thronged Billing since early morning.
With 130 pilots representing 35 countries taking part in the event at Bir, the mecca of aero-sport in the country wore a festive look. As per the rules of the Paragliding World Cup, a minimum of two tasks are mandatory for the calculation of points.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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