KWAHU-ATIBIE, Ghana, April 19 (Reuters) – Each Easter weekend, 1000’s of individuals from all over the world flock to the quiet Ghanaian cities of Kwahu and Atibie for a paragliding competition and Easter carnival that residents hope could set up the West African nation as a hub for excessive sports activities.
This yr marked the competition’s return to its annual schedule after the COVID-19 pandemic pressured organisers to postpone the final two years’ occasions.
Round 400 individuals registered for tandem flights with skilled pilots, rivalling a few of the competition’s hottest years, in keeping with Vacationer Board figures. Dozens introduced their very own tools to fly solo.
Contributors hungry for adrenaline strapped into their harnesses and ran off a ridge atop Ghana’s second tallest mountain. As their kites caught wind, pilots and passengers alike had been launched into the sky.
Ghanaian paraglider Jonathan Quaye, 40, first flew in 2006, the competition’s second yr, because the passenger of an American paraglider. He is been paragliding ever since.
Folks watch as Ghanaian paragliders, Michael Kwakye and Stephen Asamoah land on the Nkawkaw soccer area through the annual Easter paragliding competition in Kwahu-Atibie, Ghana April 16, 2022. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko
Having acquired his tandem certification through the pandemic, he’s now the one Ghanaian on the competition licensed to hold others into the clouds.
“Folks suppose it is not a secure sport, or have a mentality prefer it’s just for white individuals,” he stated after touching down. “However all these individuals who say that, they’ve by no means been right here.”
Quaye was one among solely 4 Ghanaian paragliders to fly solo at this yr’s competition, two of whom stay exterior Ghana. However the scene is rising, thanks partially to what Quaye stated is the game’s innate high quality for fostering neighborhood.
Stephen Owusu Asamoah, a Ghanaian dwelling in the US, returned to his house city of Kwahu – round 150 km (90 miles) north of the capital Accra – together with his personal kite and equipment earlier this month, desirous to take part within the competition after studying to fly final yr.
“While you see individuals such as you doing what you wish to do, it lets you already know that you could additionally get into it,” he stated. “I really feel like that is going to actually inspire lots of people.”
Writing by Cooper Inveen
Modifying by Bate Felix and Raissa Kasolowsky
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