The fall and death of the "Lebanese champion"... another tragedy strikes paragliding.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: A tragedy strikes the paragliding sector in Lebanon, after the fall of the young man, Omar Singer, a native of Tripoli and a world champion in this sport, into the sea of Jounieh while practicing his favorite game. Singer was training alone on Wednesday in preparation for participating in a world championship in Turkey, before his parachute got caught while performing dangerous aerial maneuvers, preventing him from opening the parachute and causing him to fall into the sea of the Lebanese city of Jounieh, where he was later found in a very critical condition and breathed his last. His sister, Sumaya Singer, said: "My brother is the Lebanese champion in this sport. Omar was single and dedicated his entire life to this sport, and he was preparing to represent Lebanon next week in Turkey." Sumaya continued: "We were surprised by the news as if we had fallen with him, as we all felt as if we were flying with him always." [Link to Twitter post] High fees and no safety measures Paragliding in Lebanon, specifically in Jounieh where the mountain overlooks the sea, is considered one of the most expensive sports in the Middle East, with the cost of a single flight reaching $120. These activities had been suspended for about two months by an official decision, but political pressure reactivated them, which sparked widespread discontent on social media platforms. According to the testimony of Nour, one of Singer's colleagues, the aerial maneuvers he performed "are not usually carried out due to their danger, and they are what caused his fall," pointing to the absence of a rescue boat at sea to deal with any emergency during the adventure. He added: "This lack of safety measures raises major question marks again about the oversight of clubs and organizing bodies, especially since this is not the first incident, but has been repeated significantly in recent years." Private media sources in the Ministry of Youth and Sports said that Minister Nora Bairakdarian had previously set a date for a meeting with the committee in charge of managing paragliding, which includes representatives of clubs and operates under the supervision of the ministry, to discuss the "serious violations" that are occurring. The sources added: "The meeting was held on Thursday after Omar's death, and in light of investigations being conducted by the Public Prosecutor of Finance and the Financial Crimes Bureau, related to tax evasion and fees imposed on these activities." Repeated warnings The founder of the "Elyassa" Association, lawyer Ziad Akel, indicated in a post on social media that "any defect in public safety procedures or non-compliance with international standards leads to heavy human losses." He added: "Just as we lose on our roads due to negligence, we also lose in the sky, and paragliding accidents are repeated very significantly, which calls for serious work from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Parliamentary Committee for Youth and Sports to stop this bleeding." In a special comment, public safety expert Rami Al-Asmar considered that what happened to Singer "was not an individual accident as much as it was a direct result of the absence of an integrated safety system." He said: "The issue is not only about the pilot's courage or skill, but about the existence of a safe environment, equipped rescue teams, clear standards, and strict oversight. If we do not deal with paragliding, as with all dangerous sports, as an activity that needs a complete protection system, we will continue to pay the price with the lives of our youth." Al-Asmar concluded by calling for the cessation of any unregulated paragliding activity until strict safety standards are put in place, obligating clubs to provide marine or land rescue teams depending on the flight location, and tightening oversight from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and linking it to specialized public safety agencies.