posted Mar 2nd, 2006 - The last part of the Winter Olympics 2006 in Torino, Italy, was a highlight for skydivers. The closing ceremony last Sunday included an impressive demonstration of wind tunnel flying. The owner of a Latvian portable vertical wind tunnel, Ivars Beitans, set up an open air unit in the middle of the stadium.

Once again, skydiving was presented to one of the largest audiences in the world in a beautiful and fascinating way. The flying demonstrations were perfectly arranged as a part of the opening ceremony, and the TV commentators were between impressed and speechless when the performance was featured live in Torino:

"How about this, on stage right now. This next act will blow you away... Shattering the rules of gravity itself... Pairs... A perfect night for flying... So many kids with trampolins in their backyard, and after seeing this they gonna ask mom and dad to buy one of these wind machines - talk about fun... Mesmerizing..."

The crowd in the stadium really came alive when the next flyer appeared flying with skies. It got even better when it was the popular snowboard's turn to get in the air. The peak of the excitement was reached when one of the tunnel flyers made it very high up into the stadium's air.

The open air tunnel was created for this special occassion to sit on the center stage. It was located close to the eyes of the athletes and all the important officials from all over the world represented at the Winter Olympics 2006. Most importantly, the whole world was able to watch the human flying performance live on TV.

Skydiving already had several great showings at other ceremonies of the Olympic Games. The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Norway 1994 included a skydiving demonstration. The most spectacular skydiving show was probably featured during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Seoul 1988.

This time, the skydiving took place right in front of the eyes of the participants and spectators. The wind tunnels have now brought the element directly to the audience, and it was used in a beautiful way in Torino. There is a very good chance that many people will go out and try to find a wind tunnel where they can test the air, as well, without ever leaving the ground.