JEDDAH, 9 September 2007 — Saudi skydiver Maj. Mubarak Al-Suwailem was waiting for a chance to skydive holding the picture of Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal and found an opportunity at the 11th Asian Skydiving Championship held in Malaysia from Aug. 23 to 31.
Since the prince became Makkah governor, I wanted to welcome him in a special way... hence I found this championship the suitable chance to do that,” said Al-Suwailem, deputy president of the Arab Federation for Aerial Sports.
Al-Suwailem represented Saudi Arabia at the event, which attracted 22 countries. He jumped 10,000 feet and held a large wooden board welcoming Prince Khalid Al-Faisal.
“We chose to print it on wood and though it was risky and required lots of guts, considering the unstable weather, I insisted on doing it as a present for the prince,” Al-Suwailem said, adding that he had previously jumped with pictures on fabric.
The Asian Skydiving Championship, he added, is a huge event. “The athletes had shown impressive performances and great progress in comparison to last year’s championship, which means we are moving in the right direction,” he said.
