Paragliding in Tartous

With the participation of 11 paragliders from several Arab and  foreign countries, the paragliding  event entitled  “touch  the sky of Syria” was   opened on Thursday  at “Marina”  site on the  corniche and Arwad Island in  Tartous province. 

The ten-day sport activity  , which is held for the first time  in Tartous  , is organized by the French company “VIP Paris  Paramotor” in cooperation with the Syrian Paragliding  Club, the Cypriot Aviation Club, the French R .Ultralight  Club and Cham Wings Airlines.

In a statement to reporters, Omar Maghribi  a member of  the Syrian Paragliding Club said that  the paragliders will   present special shows every day .There will also be air ballooning, pointing to the possibility of holding this  event in other governorates, especially since it was held   previously  in Homs Governorate.

The event coordinator, Ruba Abdullah, explained that   paragliding is a new experience in Syria, but it is  distinctive and has a global presence,   stressing  that it is  being held  in Tartous  to show the world that Syria is still  vibrant and undestroyed by terrorism.

She  noted  that the first day included a trip for a number  of students from “Dar Al-Aman” School for the Children of  Martyrs to Arwad Island, accompanied by  paragliding  to  fly  the wish balloon from there.

Abdullah added  on the first day of the sport event, two of  the ten participating paragliders presented distinguished shows   that impressed the attendees and spent about twenty  minutes in the air at a distance of approximately 150  meters. 

She pointed to the participation of  the world-class  professional paraglider in the field of paragliding, Manuel Tejero  Lopes, who came from Spain for the first time to Syria. 

Lopes  explained that he came at the request of  his father to see that  Syria  enjoys a normal life , stressing  that he was deeply attracted to many beautiful things  and  he will present special shows every day in this beautiful  place.

In turn, the world-class professional paraglider, Dimitris  Koliakos, who comes from Greece, indicated that he  participates in this  event  to present his most beautiful  shows every day in addition to filming  the place from the  air due to its proximity to the sea. Hussein Salhab, a member of the board of directors of the  Syrian Association for Exploration and Documentation, “I  am  Syrian,” said that  holding  Paramotor sports or  paragliding in Syria has an important indications   and it  addresses  a message to the world  that the Syrian people  have the will to live and are able to build themselves.

For her part, Dana Al-Jawabra from the Marketing  Department of Cham Wings Company pointed out that this sport  event is important at the international level with the 

participation  of pilots from several countries, expressing her hope that the sport of paragliding will develop in Syria.

Rawaa Ghanam