Parachutist rescued at rugby match

Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup match between Toulouse and Sale was delayed when an air force parachutist was caught on the roof of the stadium.

Five minutes before the kick-off in the last-16 match, a gust of wind knocked the parachutist off course, sending him towards the roof where his parachute caught on the stadium’s structure.

The parachutist, who was supposed to bring the match ball onto the pitch, was left hanging from the roof of the stadium, some 20m above the ground, while supporters in the section beneath him were cleared out and stadium attendants and first-aid workers laid out crash mats and a tarpaulin beneath him.

After around 30 minutes dangling, he was successfully rescued by ladder.

This is how the parachuter initially got stuck.

Never seen anything like it. #InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/VLiJje7i61

— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) April 6, 2025

Amazing scenes in Toulouse, parachutist rescued by the fire brigade, 25 minutes after he got caught on the stadium. Kick off against Sale delayed. Good to see him down safely pic.twitter.com/K0o4N2WIRd

— Will Rogan (@WillRogan3) April 6, 2025

© Agence France-Presse

Photo: Valentine Chapuis/AFP via Getty Images