Jianhua Li Dies in Accident at Paragliding World Cup in Bulgaria

Jianhua Li has died at the Paragliding World Cup in Sopot, Bulgaria. The pilot, part of a new generation of up-and-coming Chinese competitors, lost his life during the second task of the event.

In a statement, organisers said: “It is with profound sadness that we say goodbye to our friend and fellow pilot, Jianhua Li. For many in our community, Jianhua will be a familiar face. An established competition pilot, he participated in numerous competitions around the world over the years, sharing the sky with so many of us and becoming a valued part of the international paragliding community.”

In a detailed follow-up, PWCA president Goran Dimiskovski described the sequence based on eyewitness accounts and tracklog data. Jianhua was on glide when he suffered an asymmetrical collapse on the left side, leaving roughly a 40% cravat. After two left turns he deployed his reserve – consistent with the flight data extracted from the available tracklog.

At 14:06, a pilot who witnessed the incident called in with the precise location and confirmed the reserve had opened correctly, with an apparently normal descent rate, before Jianhua disappeared from view between the trees. The live track vanished about 120m above ground, with a descent rate of roughly 4–6 m/s recorded up to that point.

The safety team was alerted immediately. With the terrain inaccessible on foot, a helicopter was called and the rescue operation began. A six-man team eventually located Jianhua on the mountain but found he had already died.

Jianhua had been competing since 2020, starting in China before rising quickly – he finished 3rd at the 2024 China Paragliding Open. Since 2024 he had appeared at several international events, including the British, Norwegian, Belgian and Hungarian Opens. Ahead of the Bulgaria PWC he placed 25th at the British and Dutch Championships, and was 34th on the first task flying a Niviuk X-One and Ozone Submarine.

Organisers have faced scrutiny over safety following recent fatalities, including Bram Declercq, who died on 16 September 2025 at the FAI World Championships in Castelo, Brazil, and Turkish pilot Cengiz Kalyoncu, who died at a World Cup in Aksaray, Turkey. Dimiskovski noted that, prior to the accident, no pilot reports had flagged abnormal or problematic conditions in the air.

Bulgarian authorities have opened a formal legal investigation into the accident.

In memory of Jianhua, our thoughts are with his family, friends and the Chinese paragliding community. Staying prepared through long, demanding tasks – including keeping hydrated – is one small way we look after each other; our Your Journey Bottle is built for exactly those days.