Competition Will Wrap Up With Finals On Saturday

Some 300 world-class indoor skydivers from 31 different countries are participating the third edition of the FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships, which kicked off April 17 in the French city of Lille.

Between now and the finals on April 20, they will be fighting it out for a place on the podium in five separate disciplines, including individual freestyle and team formation flying.

The event, the first FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championship to be held in France, is taking place at the Weembi wind tunnel – one of the biggest wind tunnels in the world. The action is accessible to fans all over the world thanks to the comprehensive livestream coverage planned for the competition days.

• Competition channels: website, Facebook, results
• FAI channels: Flickr (pictures), Facebook, Youtube, Instagram
• IPC mini-site

The graceful young sport of indoor skydiving is one of the fastest growing FAI disciplines. With roots in traditional skydiving, it involves flying inside a glass-walled, vertical wind tunnel, rather than jumping out of a plane. Competitors are judged on their performance of a series of moves – either pre-determined or artistic – while balanced on a jet of fast-moving air within the wind tunnel. Routines last for 45 seconds, and the athletes compete either solo, with a partner, or as a team of four. Like many air sports, events are open to both female and male participants. And as the wind speed in the tunnels can be altered to account for the athlete’s weight, men and women can compete on a truly level playing field.

(Source: FAI news release. Image from Facebook)

FMI: www.fai.org