Paragliding’s regional chief insisted the sport was safe on Friday after its Asian Games debut — adding that riding a motorbike in Jakarta was more dangerous.
Three crashes marred the competition at the regional Olympics in Indonesia, with at least two athletes helicoptered to hospital after plunging to the ground.
Paragliding’s safety has been in focus since the death of a Hong Kong flier in July. But Sanjay Thapar, secretary general of Air Sport Federation of Asia (ASFA), brushed off any concerns.
“Paragliding is safer than riding a motorbike in Jakarta,” Thapar told journalists, referring to the Indonesian capital’s notoriously heavy traffic.
China’s Wang Jianwei suffered a broken leg, and Afghan competitor Lida Hozoori sustained spinal injuries after falling 15 meters (50 feet), according to emergency services. A Japanese athlete was also hurt in a fall.
ASFA officials, who hope the sport will be contested at the next Asian Games and even at the Olympics, said all three fliers have recovered from their injuries.
Paragliding involves athletes taking off from a hillside and performing maneuvres. More than 100 competitors took part in the event in countryside near Jakarta.
