After arriving in a departure spot in the northern part of the district, the competitors began flying yesterday, after processing data on their GPS devices. Some pilots seemed to have a difficult time at certain points due to strong winds.The competitions were watched by Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Çankırı deputy Nurettin Akman and former minister Nevzat Ayaz, as well as a large audience coming from neighboring districts and villages.
Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Çankırı Governor Şemsettin Uzun said he believes that the competitions will contribute to the promotion of the district. Noting that the venue is one of the best places for paragliding, Uzun said: “We have two departure points for flying in the northern and southern parts of the district. This increases the importance of the place.”
Speaking about how Bayramören was chosen as the location for these championships, Uzun continued, saying: “The championship's organizer Tahsin Tekin is a fan of both paragliding and Çankırı. We had not thought about holding such a competition at first. However, after Tekin's efforts, we realized we could organize such an international competition. We had doubts at first, but they turned out to be false.”
Noting that the championships will run until Aug. 16, Tekin said, “The competitors will be in the air for around three to four hours, and they will fly nearly 80 kilometers,” adding that Bulgarian pilot Yassen Savoy achieved the lengthiest paragliding flight that has ever been done in Turkey, with 239 kilometers, in yesterday's preparations.
The championships continue today.
