SYDNEY, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Described as the "Olympics of Skydiving," the World Parachuting Championships is to kick off on Saturday in the Gold Coast of Australia.
Held in Australia for the first time since 1999, the 7-day event attracts around 600 competitors from more than 25 countries.
The contest will feature 10 parachuting disciplines, including artistic free-fly, indoor and the debut of speed skydiving where competitors can accelerate to approximately 600 km per hour.
"The event not only puts Australia and the Gold Coast on the world stage, but it elevates the status of skydiving and highlights the increasing popularity of the sport," Australian Parachute Federation chief executive Brad Turner told local media.
"As long as you stick by all the rules and do the right thing it is safe as any other sport," he said.
With the safety of competitors the main focus of organizers like Turner, there are a number of precautions that jumpers take to make sure they reach the ground unscathed.
"A malfunctioning main parachute doesn't mean it is the end of it," he said.
"We have a second parachute as a backup and also have an automatic activation device built into the system so if you are still free-falling at a certain speed it will jettison the reserve parachute for you," he added.
