Parachutist left dangling from stadium roof as pregame stunt goes wrong
Parachute stunt at rugby match gone wrong
A parachutist was helping deliver the match ball, but ended up delaying kickoff when his stunt went wrong. Credit: Olivier Murat via Storyful
Rugby supporters were left stunned at Toulouse stadium in southwest France on Sunday, April 6, when a parachutist was blown off course and found himself stuck on the roof during a pre-game display.
What happened:
A parachute got stuck on the roof of a stadium in France, leaving a man performing a pre-game stunt dangling in midair above the crowd.
Video perspective:
Footage recorded by Olivier Murat and obtained by Storyful showed the man’s parachute getting blown off course and tangled on the stadium roof, leaving him dangling. It happened just moments after another parachuter landed safely on the field.
The backstory:
The man was part of a stunt to deliver the match ball to the field.
What happened next:
Le Parisien reported the man was still dangling 20 minutes after the scheduled kickoff time.
Firefighters were eventually able to get him safely to the ground, reportedly using a basket and a long ladder. He received a standing ovation when he was freed.
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What they're saying:
The parachutist, who reportedly has a military background, told Le Parisien that he didn’t feel afraid when he was stuck.
"I saw that everything was being organized around me. I remained calm. I was not afraid that the parachute would come loose because I had looked carefully, it was well attached."
Meanwhile:
Toulouse went on to beat Sale Sharks 38-15 in the delayed game, securing their place in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from Storyful, a social media video licensing agency, and a local report from Le Parisien.