Only the top ranked Waterski athletes of the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) qualify for this next Stop of the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series on July 29th/30th. With over 30 million active participants in the sport in 92 countries, securing a place on the starting dock is the sport’s ultimate challenge.

 

The City of Dubna has again created the perfect stage on the banks of the Volga River, just north of Moscow. The massive Grand Stand has permanent seating for over 30,000 spectators. All is ready for the Skiers from fourteen countries around the World. They will continue their efforts to capture some of the US$780,000 2006 World Cup cash prize fund.

 

The growing global TV audience of the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series will also be able to enjoy the performances on the Volga River this weekend. In Russia, full coverage will be available on NTV. In the USA, coverage will also be available on WCSN, a specialized Sports Channel which broadcasts to 42 million households. Details can be accessed at http://www.wcsn.com/ In Europe, watch out for Watersports World on SKY Sports Satellite. An edited show will be broadcast in the coming weeks. Each episode is viewed by five million individuals. Others to watch are Australia / Fox Sports, Canada / Global TV, South America / Fox Americas, Japan / J SKY B, Middle East / Extreme Sports, UAE / Emirates TV and China via Guang Ya.

 

Since last year’s Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series, the standards in Slalom, Shortboard and Jump have taken a major leap forward. Italy’s Thomas Degasperi has just joined the rare ranks of only four other athletes who have ever scored in Slalom on the very short 9.75m rope length. That is 1.75m too short to get around the six Slalom buoys ! Four of these 9.75m athletes will compete in Dubna as well as the new World Champion, Wiiliam Asher (GBR). In Jump, all of the top seven ranked athletes will compete, including Freddy Krueger (USA), Jaret Llewellyn (CAN) and Mark Lane (USA). In Shortboard, new World Records have again been set in recent months. The two guilty athletes, Mandy Nightingale (USA) and Nicolas LeForestier (FRA) will get a loud cheer from the Dubna spectators who always show a special interest in this discipline.

 

IWSF World President, Kuno Ritschard, stated in Dubna today that as this is the third consecutive World Cup Stop in this City, the experience gained has given an additional sense of excitement to the entire population. Russia will certainly be the centre of attention this weekend for our 30 million Waterski and Wakeboard participants around the World. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTACT : Des Burke-Kennedy, Media Chairman, International Waterski Federation

For Sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@iwsf.com

Web Site : http://www.iwsfworldcup.com/

 

International Waterski Federation

Akrilan