Red Bull Event Ends Early, But A Winner Is Announced

When some 86,000 spectators of the Red Bull Flugtag event crowded the Willamette River in Portland, OR Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard decided that the river had become unnavigable, and shut the event down.

Coast Guard spokesman George Degener told television station KGW that it was Red Bull's responsibility to keep the river clear for navigation, and they did not do so. At about 3:00 p.m. local time, the Coast Guard told organizers to shut down the event.

The Portland Spirit, a local cruise ship, was unable to navigate through the crowd of boats shortly before the event was stopped. There was reportedly a minor collision between the cruise ship and another boat, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. There were no injuries, and damage was limited to scraped paint on the boat.

Red Bull downplayed the early ending to the event. In a news release, the company said "With temperatures over 100 degrees, the Willamette River was the place to be earlier this afternoon. There was an impressive number of boats on the water and due to concerns of overcrowding from the U.S. Coast Guard, the contest ended early–but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the fans who stayed to cheer on the winners!"

At the Portland event, 41 teams from across the U.S. and Canada headed to Tom McCall Waterfront Park to attempt human-powered flight, according to the release. 

"Three Oregon-based teams with home court advantage took the top three spots. Team 'I Dream of Jeannie' twinkled their noses and soared an impressive 84 feet to a first place victory, while team 'McFly' placed second and 'Rings of Fire' took third. Representing the City of Angels, the People’s Choice Award went to Los Angeles, CA-based 'Team NghtBrnd'," the release said.

(Image provided by Red Bull)

FMI: www.redbullflugtag.com/usa-portland/en/