Supersonic secretary

UN chief to fall from the sky?

Death-defying skydiver Felix Baumgartner offers Ban Ki-moon lessons

Austrian skydiver, base jumper and daredevil Felix Baumgartner, left, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for photographers at United Nations Headquarters, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. (photo credit: The United Nations, Rick Bajornas/AP)
Austrian skydiver, base jumper and daredevil Felix Baumgartner, left, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pose for photographers at United Nations Headquarters, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. (photo credit: The United Nations, Rick Bajornas/AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Supersonic skydiver Felix Baumgartner wants to teach UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon how to skydive.

Baumgartner made the offer Tuesday during a photo opportunity where the UN chief spoke admiringly of Baumgartner’s death-defying leap last week from a balloon 24 miles (39 kilometers) above the Earth, breaking the sound barrier and setting a world record.

When Ban said that he had never skydived, the Austrian offered up his services.

“Here’s your chance, I’ll teach you to skydive,” Baumgartner said.

While Ban looked less-than-enthusiastic about the skydiving lesson, he did call Baumgartner “the most courageous person in the world.”

Ban’s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, told reporters that while the secretary-general usually deals with weighty issues involving conflicts and wars, he also thinks it is important to engage other parts of society.

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