Bhopal hosts spectacular hot air balloon race - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

A spectacular hot air balloon race was organized by Indian Army here on Wednesday. Four army teams from Baroda participated in the race. "We have collected all the hot air balloons of the Indian Army and four balloons will be competing in this race. They will first attempt a precision dropping of a marker at a point on the land and then at a distance of 10 to 15 kilometres from here, will have to land at a marked point to win. They have been given a GPS to track the point of landing. Whosoever lands nearest to the point will be the winner," said Sanjay Verma, an organiser. This was the first of its kind ballooning race in India, said, B M Talwar, another organiser. "Adventure training is a training where the troops are taught how to face risk and fear without the use of a gun. This is a part of their adventure training. We are basically exposing them to risk, which will in turn boost their confidence," he added. The race was aimed as a stepping stone for the Army teams to compete in international competitions.