March 17, 2021 – Numerous football and handball teams, as well as many other athletes, have been traditionally preparing for sports competitions in western Istrian towns. That Istria is a perfect destination for sports preparations is recently even evidenced by the Qatar national parachute team preparing in Porec for the World Cup in Russia.
In recent days, many people from Poreč have been able to notice the flight of purple and white parachutes in the sky above their city. Namely, the Qatar national parachute team is preparing in Poreč for the World Cup in Russia under the leadership of Slovenian Uroš Ban, multiple world champion in parachuting.
As Ban mentioned, the national team decided to do the preparations in Istria because there is the necessary infrastructure such as a sports airport, parachute jumping equipment, and accommodation infrastructure. That decision was favorable for a relatively quick resolution of the required paperwork, too, due to the difficulty of traveling to other destinations during COVID.
Source: The City of Poreč - Parenzo
With a total of 14 members, the Qatar national parachute team will stay in Istria for a month and will be preparing for the classic parachute disciplines. Everyone's goal is the same – to jump from a height of 1000 m to a point with a diameter of 2 cm. Every missed centimeter is measured electronically and added up as a penalty point. Each jumper does a dozen jumps a day, and each jump is affected by the weather, especially the wind.
Apart from them, the Croatian parachuting team's coach, Goran Ratkajec, has been staying in Poreč for most of the year. Besides the parachute club, he also makes smaller sports planes in the Žatika zone in Poreč.
The World Parachuting Championship, which was supposed to be held last year in Russia, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, so a decision is pending on whether the World or European Championships will be held first this year. Either way, the Istrian sky will be dotted with paratroopers.
Source: The City of Poreč - Parenzo
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