Kathmandu, May 9
The Paragliding and Hang-Gliding
Association have launched an international Paragliding Premier League in
Dharan. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has supported the event.
The competition features five categories:
international open, men’s and women’s divisions, as well as national men’s and
women’s divisions. Athletes who won medals at the 18th Asian Games are also
participating in the competition, the NTB informed in a statement.
The inaugural edition of the League was
jointly inaugurated by Chief Minister of Koshi Hikmat Kumar Karki, Acting Chief
Executive of the Nepal Tourism Board Hikmat Singh Air, and former Deputy Mayor
of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City Manju Bhandari.
According to league coordinator Bhopal
Chyamalung, the event, being held at the paragliding take-off site in Chhoti
Morang, Dharan-4, has attracted the participation of 32 athletes from Nepal,
India and Bangladesh. The League will run till Monday.
Chief Minister Karki said that Koshi
Province holds immense potential for adventure tourism. “Sports such as
paragliding and mountaineering will make a significant contribution to the
development of adventure sports tourism,” he said while adding that the
government aims to develop Dharan and its surrounding areas as a hub for
paragliding and hang gliding.
CM Karki further said that preparations are
underway to organise international sporting events in more than ten
disciplines, including paragliding, by linking them with Tourism Year and Visit
Year programmes from the next fiscal year 2026/27 onward.
Similarly, Air said that such adventure
sports activities would make a significant contribution to tourism in Koshi
Province. “Through paragliding, visitors can enjoy views of Himalayan peaks
such as Everest, Makalu and Lhotse, which I believe will make it a preferred
attraction for tourists. I also express the commitment of the NTB to play a
role in organising international-level paragliding competitions for its
promotion,” he said.
According to Bhandari, a suitable take-off
point for paragliding had been identified in the Chhoti Morang area. Following
a technical study, the then executive body designated the area as an official
take-off and landing site.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 May 2026.
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