World military parachuting championship to be organized in Szolnok

“The world championship, whose opening ceremony will be held in downtown Szolnok on 3 July, has enormous significance for the Hungarian Defence Forces. It is a great honor that the International Military Sports Council (Conseil International du Sport Militaire, CISM) has chosen Hungary from among 140 nations” – said Colonel Dr. Tamás Bali, who told us that the significant international success of the Hungarian national military parachuting team may also have a role in the decision taken by the CISM, an organization founded in 1948. It was announced that national teams of 39 countries, approximately 500 competitors are expected to participate in the one-week international championship to be held between 4 and 11 July, but as a number of judges will also arrive from different countries, the participants will represent 45 nations altogether.

Almost all units and military organizations of the Hungarian Defence Forces are involved in assisting with the implementation of the World Military Parachuting Championship. The HDF 86th Helicopter Wing, for example, is going to contribute two helicopters, a H145M and a H225M. The significance of the competition is shown by the fact that Brazilian CISM President Colonel Nilton Gomes Rolim will be present on the spot during the days of competition.

The Hungarian Defence Forces will be represented in the Szolnok competition by the five-man Hungarian national parachuting team. “This team is a world champion, and its members will finish among the first three if they enter any parachuting competition in the world (be it one of the global contests or a European championship). We must be proud of them, and equally of the Hungarian Defence Forces and of the parachuting capability that we can provide” – this was how the commander introduced by name the military athletes who were gold medalists at the 40th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship held in Kubinka, Russia eight years ago.

Led by Captain Tamás Bánszki, the commander of the rigger group of the HDF 101st Aviation Wing, the national parachuting team – composed of Warrant Officer Gábor Hirschler and Warrant Officer Tamás Varga, the members of the HDF 86th Helicopter Wing, Warrant Officer István Asztalos, a volunteer operational reservist serving with the HDF 3rd Territorial Defence Regiment and Warrant Officer Péter Gőgös, a member of the HDF 101st Aviation Wing – carried out demo jumps before the press conference.

The commander of the Helicopter Wing also told us that the teams would arrive in Hungary on 2 July; the opening ceremony would be held the next day in Hild József Square, Szolnok, and the warm-up jumps are to start in the afternoon of that day. “The parachuting events will be taking place from the morning of 4 July until the evening of 11 July, and will be open to for the public at large to watch at the Szolnok-Szandaszőlős Sports Airfield. “We will organize one of the events, the style jumps on the airbase of the Szolnok Helicopter Wing” – he said.

Captain Tamás Bánszki told us that they had already started making training jumps for the world championship, and had already completed 95% of the planned jumps despite the adverse weather conditions of the recent period. “We are about to start the competition season on Wednesday, 29 May: we are going to participate in the first round of the Parachuting Accuracy Landing Competition of the Skydive World Cup Series in France. This world cup series is to be continued in June, and afterwards we will focus all our efforts on the Szolnok world championship” – he said.

Besides style jumps, the visitors to the 46th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship will also have the opportunity to see individual and team accuracy landing events, as well as individual and team combined competition and formation jumps. Since 1973, the national parachuting team of the Hungarian Defence Forces has been made up of active-duty personnel and reservists, and the military provides their training, while the Honvéd Parachuting Sports Association supports their work.