Egyptian International Parachuting Championship kicks off

Egypt's parachuters perform at the opening the Egyptian International Parachuting Championship, which is organized by the Egyptian Parachuting and Air Sports Federation (EPAF), in Giza, Egypt March 2, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

GIZA, Egypt - The second Egyptian International Parachuting Championship kicked off on Wednesday with the participation of scores of athletes representing 16 countries.

The championship, held at the foot of Egypt's iconic Pyramids, will last for 10 days as teams and individuals will compete over five awards.

Organized by Egyptian Parachuting and Air Sports Federation (EPAF) under the auspices of the Egyptian President Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi, the opening ceremony of the event witnessed a notable official presence.

Rival teams represent the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Morocco, Poland, Germany, Bahrain, US, Qatar, India, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Canada, Ukraine, India, in addition to Egypt.

EPAF official Mahmoud al-Dawody told Xinhua that, "the championship is very important as it helps exchange ideas and strengthen friendly relations between sport parachutists, judges and support personnel all over the world."

"It also allows participants to share and exchange experiences, knowledge and information," he added.

The official also said that such an event helps Egypt to promote its ailing tourism which has seen many setbacks due to the political unrest that overwhelmed the North African country after the 2011 revolution which ended the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak.

"It is a significant and well-organized championship and I hope that our team will be lucky enough to win an award," Mohamed al-Hajer, a parachutist from the Qatar's national team, told Xinhua.