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s many as 144 paragliding athletes launched off the Gunung Payung cliff top in Nusa Dua, Bali, and flew over the Indian Ocean in a record-breaking event organized by the Indonesian Aerosport Federation (FASI) on Sunday.

As the gliders enjoyed a birds-eye view of the breathtaking Bali skyline, a score of spectators and supporters lined the cliff steep under the blistering sun, watching the colorful parachutes soar above the blue ocean on the island’s most southern tip.

Held in conjunction with the 110th General Conference of the International Aerosport Federation (FAI), the event also featured record breaking numbers in hang gliding with 25 participants in Timbis Hill and paramotor with 30 participants in Mertasari Beach.

The newly elected FAI chairman, Frits Brink from the Netherlands, also participated in the event in a tandem flight with Thomas Widyananto, who received four gold medals in the 2011 SEA Games.

The event has been recognized by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) as having the largest number of paragliders, defeating the previous record in 2009 that involved 99 participants.

“We recorded this as the 7,445th record in MURI. In the previous year, FASI had also recorded some achievements, including 77 paragliders flying together on July 7, 2007, followed by 88 paragliders flying together on Aug. 8, 2008, and a similar event involving 99 participants in Sept. 9, 2009. All of the events were held in Bali,” said Sri Widayati, MURI executive manager.

However, in 2010, the organization’s attempt to break the record failed due to bad weather.

Gunung Payung and Timbis Hill are prime spots for paragliding on the island, attracting many tourists who seek to experience tandem flights while enjoying the scenic view of the green hill and the blue ocean from above.

Djoko Bisowarno, head of the Indonesian Union of Paragliding and Hang Gliding, said the successful record-breaking event proved that aerosports in Indonesia had developed significantly over the last several years.

“We also gratefully welcome the inclusion of paragliding as one of the branches of sport for the 2018 Asian Games. We also hope there will be more of the young generation of Indonesians interested in this aerosport branch,” he said.

Paragliding has been added to the program for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, following the decision made on Sept. 25 by the Olympic Council of Asia in Vietnam. Indonesia is targeting three gold medals from
the sport.

In preparation for the Asian Games, the Indonesian team will join the World Paragliding Accuracy Championship in Albania in August 2017.