Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

More than 250 skydivers from 17 Arab countries — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morroco, Jordan, Yemen, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Libya, Oman, Algeria, and Lebanon — enthusiastically participated in the Prince Naif Abdulaziz Skydiving Championship that kicked off Thursday in Jeddah.



During the opening ceremony Prince Sultan Bin Khalid Al Faisal performed acrobatic stunts with other renowned Saudi skydivers such as Ibrahim Al Sayaad, Hadi Al Sayyad and SamiSami Al Hammadi.



The weeklong competition organized by the Saudi Aviation Club and the Saudi Parachute Association in cooperation with the Arab Federation for Aerial Sports is being held in front of the King Fahd Fountain on corniche. It is open for public viewing from 7 AM - 11 AM in the morning and 4 PM - 6 PM in the evening.



Maj. Mubarek Al Suwaliem, director of the organizing committee, said: “It is an event that we have been eagerly waiting for because it is meant to honor the late Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz. We hope the event is a success; with such big crowds, I think Jeddah residents have been always a great support and I hope they will enjoy it this time.”



Al Suwaliem said that they have tried their best to create suitable arrangements for delegations as well as the general public. “Our goal is to make everyone enjoy the event and have a memorable experience in Jeddah. The location, too, is attractive because of its significant landmark.”

He also praised the government sector for being supportive in lending them the aircrafts.



From Saudi Arabia 21 skydivers have participated in seven different events. The participants will be judged on their timing and accuracy of landing, style of diving, among others.



The winner of the competition will proudly walk away with a gold medal, whereas the second and third runners-up will receive a silver and bronze medal respectively; each one of them will also be rewarded with cash prizes.