Skydivers train over Lake Habbaniyah as Iraq prepares for international competitions

ANBAR — The Iraqi Central Air Federation, in cooperation with the Desert Wings Club and with support from Army Aviation, organized skydiving and paramotor training sessions at Lake Habbaniyah Resort to enhance athletes’ skills ahead of upcoming international competitions. The jumps were conducted from altitudes of 1,500 meters, and organizers said both professionals and tourists are welcome to participate.

Abdullah Samir, a member of Iraq’s national skydiving team, told 964media, “The Iraqi Central Air Federation, in cooperation with the Desert Wings Club, organizes skydiving events every Saturday at Lake Habbaniyah Resort with participation from clubs across Iraq.”

He said the activities serve as training camps for athletes and have drawn growing interest from skydiving enthusiasts. “Last week the number of jumpers was small, but today the turnout has increased noticeably, and we expect it to continue rising each week,” he added.

The Desert Wings Club specializes in paramotor and parachute sports, using the lake’s calm weather and scenic landscape as ideal conditions for flying. Paramotor activities take place every Friday and Saturday, featuring intensive training camps in preparation for the World Paramotor Championship, the Asian Paragliding Championship, the Arab Championship, and the Iraqi Clubs League.

Hasan Abd Dawood, a skydiving coach, told 964media, “The Iraqi Central Air Federation instructed us to organize freefall parachute training with the participation of Army Aviation. The jumps were carried out successfully in the Habbaniyah tourist area.”

He said the event included the national team and five member clubs of the federation. “The jumps were performed from an altitude of 1,500 meters in groups of six. The first and second groups completed their flights successfully,” he said, adding that “the training went perfectly, all operations were safe, and the results were very good.”

Karim Kazem, a national team athlete, said, “We began the second week of the training camp under the supervision of the Iraqi Air Federation at Lake Habbaniyah, hosted by the Desert Wings Club. The atmosphere was excellent, and we completed our first jump from 1,500 meters. We will continue with the second and third jumps in preparation for an international competition.”

Maryam Hamid from Al-Buraq Air Sports School said, “We completed our parachute jumps with the national team and the Iraqi Air Federation under the supervision of Captain Bassam at Lake Habbaniyah Resort. The jump was fantastic, everything was done correctly, and it was full of excitement and fun.”

Ahmad Abdullah, a trainee, said, “I came with my father to learn, and I really enjoyed the flight without any fear. Anyone who wants to join shouldn’t be afraid — even children as young as seven or eight can participate easily. The area is very beautiful.”