mccordia 74 #1 October 29, 2001 Okay...where not there yet, but when officials are convinced about how cool the sport is, who knows....FAI Press release : PARACHUTING TAKES AN OLYMPIC LEAP Leading IOC official Kit McConnell took a leap into the Olympic future when he made a tandem parachute jump, courtesy of instructors from the Para-Club Valais. The jumps took place at Yverdon airfield, some 30km from Lausanne, seat of the International Olympic Committee, last Sunday afternoon 30 September, 2001. Accompanying him on his intrepid adventure were the top Lausanne sports officials, Municipal Councillor Bernard Métraux and Sabrina Tramparulo. They were carried aloft to a height of about 4 000 metres (12 500ft) in a Pilatus of Air Glacier, and fell free for almost a minute, strapped tightly to their instructors, before their canopies opened. All three were thrilled by their first free-fall parachute jumps. Back on the ground, the air was full of exclamations of excitement : " It was just wonderful. A fantastic experience ! Unbelievable ! " Understandable initial anxiety had quickly given way to unbridled enthusiasm. The jumps were organised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing body for all air sports, which has had its headquarters in Avenue Mon-Repos Lausanne since 1998. The FAI is campaigning for sky-diving to feature on the programme for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. McConnell had been fired up with enthusiasm for making a jump when he visited the parachuting event at the World Games in Akita, Japan, in August this year. At this event, parachuting proved to be the most popular with the spectators of all the IOC-recognised sports that are not yet on the Olympic programme. Well over 20 000 people came to see the parachutists perform at close quarters, and the sport featured prominently in the World Games Opening Ceremony. Three events were featured : formation sky-diving ; freestyle (acrobatics in free-fall) ; and accuracy landing. Max Bishop, FAI's Secretary General, said: " Parachuting is a sport for the new millenium. It is exciting to watch, highly competitive, colourful and very appealing to young sports-women as well as men. There are events for individuals and for teams. And it costs no more than skiing or similar sports. We are convinced it's the TV sport of the future." Kit McConnell's Olympic leap will be followed soon with jumps by other leading officials from the World Games and Olympic Movements. For further information contact: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Avenue Mon-Repos 24 CH 1005 LAUSANNE Switzerland Tel: +(41) 21 345 1070 Fax: +(41) 21 345 1077 Email: sec@fai.org Website : http://www.fai.org/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #2 October 29, 2001 Getting them hooked is definately a beginning!"There once was a man named Enis....."-Krusty the ClownClay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #3 October 29, 2001 hey, i'll be going to yverdon in on the 11th of november. my friend lives in a town right next to it called St. Croix. i hope to make a few jumps in yverdon of maybe bulle on the other side of lac nuchatel (yverdon is on the southern tip of his lake) wierd.. to read about someplace i've been many times before......."up my noooossseee"- wingnut, at first euro dz.com boogie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
