The preparations are 90 percent complete."Palu (ANTARA News) - Central Sulawesi is set to host an international and national paragliding championship in the Matantimali Mountains in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi Province, on August 13-20, 2016.
"Domestic and foreign athletes will participate in the event," the Indonesian Aero Sport Federation secretary of Central Sulawesi Asgaf stated here on Wednesday.
The paragliding event will take place in the Matantimali Mountains at an altitude of some 800 to one thousand meters above sea level, and the take-off location is 1.2 thousand square meters wide.
The committee has prepared the location and also made arrangements for providing accommodation and transportation.
"The preparations are 90 percent complete," Asgaf remarked.
Asgaf stated that the police had expressed readiness to support and secure the landing sites.
"There are seven landing sites spread across several districts in the region," Asgaf pointed out.
The location meets the required international standards.
"Some foreign athletes say this location is perfect for holding the international paragliding championship," Asgaf pointed out.
From the city of Palu, paragliding locations can be reached by motorcycles and cars.
"From that site, we can enjoy the wonderful views of Palu and villages in Sigi District. The event is expected to attract domestic and foreign tourists," Asgaf noted.
Earlier, on March 9, 2016, several tourists and western scientists had thronged Sigi District to watch the rare and beautiful phenomenon of the total solar eclipse (TSE).
The province received some three thousand tourists, most of them arriving in Sigi to observe the TSE as the district was considered one of the best spots to witness the event.
Sigi has four observation points, respectively, located in the villages of Ngatabaru, Kotapulu, Pakuli, and Wayu Matantimali.
During the TSE that occurred on the morning of March 9, thousands of local villagers, domestic and foreign tourists, including those from Iran, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla, and western scientists, as well as Dutch physicist and astronaut Andre Kuipers gathered in a football field in Kotapulu, Sigi, to witness the extraordinary phenomenon.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
