Top Athletes From Nineteen Countries Now Declared For The 2008 Waterski And Wakeboard World Cup Series

Monday, May 19, 2008
Posted by Bob Corson


With a total of 21 Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Stops already completed, competition for places in the 2008 starting list is at an all time high. In simple terms, each Skier or Rider must be ranked in the top 20 in the World by the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) to have any chance of success. In spite of this, the selected athletes will represent nineteen countries this season. The line up of spectacular venues also makes it a truly global event again this year with Stops confirmed in Russia, Egypt, Singapore, India, Malaysia and Qatar.

The disciplines involved will be Slalom, Jump, Shortboard and Wakeboard. Eight Women and twelve Men will compete in the Waterski disciplines. Eight Women and eighteen Men will compete for the Wakeboard title. As in many sports today, the specialist has an advantage. The result is that very few Waterski athletes can now achieve the standard required in more than one discipline. Reflecting the high standards, of the 54 Waterskiers selected, only SIX have qualified this year for more than one event. Slalom is now totally dominated by specialists. Some on the waiting lists may alter this if injuries or cancellations arise. Also, no country this year has produced more than one double contender. The very talented SIX double Waterski qualifiers from six different Nations are :

Natalia Berdnikova (BLR) - Shortboard and Jump
Clementine Lucine (FRA) – Shortboard and Jump
Ageliki Andriopoulou (GRE) – Shortboard and Jump

Jimmy Siemers (USA) – Shortboard and Jump
Ryan Green (AUS) – Shortboard and Jump
Jaret Llewellyn (CAN) – Shortboard and Jump

In Wakeboard, virtually all of the top World Cup competitors from the 2007 season are back again to take on the new challenge. These will include Andrew Adkison and Phillip Soven (USA), Jeff Weatherall (NZL), Daniel Watkins (AUS), Dallas Friday and Raimi Merritt (USA), Andrea Fountain (NZL) and Chen LiLi (CHN). Missing is the talented Sunni Ann Ball (CAN) who was forced by injury some months ago to retire from the sport.

In Waterskiing, all of those who hold the number one place in the latest IWSF Ranking Tables have been selected. In Jump these will include Freddy Krueger (USA) and Ageliki Andriopoulou (GRE), in Slalom Jamie Beauchesne (USA) and Karen Truelove (USA) and in Shortboard, Nicolas LeForestier (FRA) and Clementine Lucine (FRA). IWSF World Wakeboard Champions, Andrew Adkison (USA) and Dallas Friday (USA) will also participate. Bringing this level of talent to the major population centres around the World this year promises to further expand the growing fan base of both Waterskiing and Wakeboard.

The first two World Cup Stops of the season will be at Dubna on the Volga River in Russia for Waterskiing and at Palm Hills Development at Hacienda Bay Beach in Egypt for Wakeboard. While Dubna has delivered spectacular World Cup events each year since 2004, this will be the first World Cup Stop in Egypt. Further details will be announced on each of the six Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Stops in the coming weeks.

MasterCraft, the official boat and technical support sponsor from the start of this series in 2004 , is faced with quite a challenge this season. Containers loaded with these precious craft must be in place and on time in Russia, Egypt, Singapore, India, Malaysia and Qatar. Already these Containers are on the high seas and the MasterCraft team are closely monitoring progress by the day.

To secure your DVD of the entire 2007 Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup season, plus copies of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, details are available now at http://www.sportsactiondvds.com A DVD will also be available of the entire 2008 season later this year.
RUSSIA - JULY 24/26 Dubna - Waterski
EGYPT - AUGUST 13/15 Palm Hills Development, Hacienda Bay Beach - Wakeboard
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 10/12 Singapore - Wakeboard
INDIA - OCTOBER 17/19 Chandigarh - Waterski
MALAYSIA - NOVEMBER 7/9 Putrajaya - Waterski
QATAR - NOVEMBER 13/16 Doha - Wakeboard and Shortboard

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

For Sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@iwsf.com

Web Site : www.iwsfworldcup.com


International Waterski Federation

Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup



Official Towboat Sponsor
for 2008 World Cup


World Championship
Sports Network

Filed under: Press Releases
Waterski And Wakeboard World Cup Set For An Exotic 2008 Series

Monday, March 31, 2008
Posted by Bob Corson

 

Kuno Ritschard, President of the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF), released details today of the calendar of the IWSF Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series organized for this season. Having successfully completed 21 Stops to date, the locations fixed for this year are the most exotic so far. 

The venues announced are Dubna on the Volga River in Russia, the Palm Hills Development Wakeboard World Cup on the Mediterranean in Egypt, Doha in Qatar in the Arabian Gulf, Putrajaya, the new Government City in Malaysia, downtown Singapore just above the Equator and Hyderabad south of Mumbai in India. With six Stops in total, three will incorporate Wakeboard and three will include Waterskiing. Further new locations are already under negotiation for the coming four years.

The original objectives of the World Cup series were, and still are, to bring the very best IWSF athletes to compete in high population downtown and exotic locations around the World and to maximize media and sponsor exposure. The 2008 World Cub schedule ticks all the boxes. Population-wise, Hyderabad leads this year’s field with 38 million, Dubna’s Moscow Region has 7 million, Singapore has 4.5 million,  Egypt’s Hacienda Bay west of Alexandria has 4 million, Putrajaya on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur has 1.5 million and Qatar has 1 million. In other words, the 2008 Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series will take place on the doorstep of over 56 million potential fans !

In 2007, reports produced for the IWSF by Mediadvice LLC and Videosol London estimated that the total worldwide TV News and Edited TV Shows of the World Cup series achieved 296 million viewers over 120 hours . The IWSF arrangements for 2008 will expand this coverage further. News Releases will again be distributed to over 12,000 Media contacts around the World for every World Cup Stop.

The IWSF World Cup Calendar dates are as follows :

JULY 24-26 : Dubna, Russia / WATERSKI
AUGUST 13-15 : Palm Hills Development, Egypt / WAKEBOARD
OCTOBER 10-12 : Singapore / WAKEBOARD
OCTOBER 13-15 : Doha, Qatar – WATERSKI / WAKEBOARD
NOVEMBER 7-9 : Putrajaya, Malaysia - WATERSKI
NOVEMBER TBA : Hyderabad, India / WATERSKI

The IWSF athletes selection process and those who have qualified for the 2008 World Cup series will be announced shortly. As in the previous 21 successful World Cup Stops, the men and women selected will represent at least 15 countries. MasterCraft will continue to supply the very latest competition boats, backup service and logistics throughout the entire 2008 global journey ! For further information, contact http://www.iwsf.com
CONTACT : Des Burke-Kennedy, Media Chairman, International Waterski Federation

For Sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@iwsf.com

Web Site : www.iwsfworldcup.com

 

 International Waterski Federation

    

 Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup

 
    




Official Towboat Sponsor
for 2008 World Cup
  

World Championship
Sports Network

Filed under: Press Releases
Canada And USA Share Spoils In Doha At Last World Cup Stop Of The 2007 Season

Monday, November 5, 2007
Posted by Bob Corson

 The International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) has just completed the 21st successful Stop of the current Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series. To date, cash prizes in excess of US$2,000,000 have been paid to the athletes. TV shows of each Stop have been targeted at audiences of over 500 million viewers. News Releases have been distributed to 192 countries on every one of the 21 Stops completed. The search for suitable new downtown venues and event partners for the future continues as the momentum of the World Cup reaches new levels.

The venue for this 21st World Cup Stop was the Diplomatic Club on the Arabian Gulf in Doha in Qatar. Sponsored by Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), Aspire - Academy for Sports Excellence, MasterCraft, The Diplomatic Club and the IWSF, this was the perfect location for the final chapter of the season. With temperatures of 34C, a light cooling breeze and a spectacular setting against the impressive and rapidly changing Doha sky line, those who expected high standards on all fronts were not disappointed.

Having successfully completed the Asian Games one year ago at the nearby Aspire sports complex, running two major international Wakeboard events back to back was not a problem for Doha or the QMSF. Last week, the IWSF Wakeboard World Championships were completed successfully and now it was the turn of the World Cup series for Wakeboard Riders from ten countries. These included Korea, Republic of South Africa, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand and China. Only the highest performers qualify for IWSF World Cup invitations to compete for the US$60,000 Doha prize fund.

The winners of the last World Cup Wakeboard Stop in Singapore, Dallas Friday (USA) and Phillip Soven (USA), both arrived to attempt a double victory. Friday was also crowned IWSF World Wakeboard Champion last week. Andrew Adkison (USA) was also crowned IWSF World Wakeboard Champion at that time and he arrived here in Doha as a hot favorite.

Eight Women qualified for World Cup entry at the Diplomatic Club site. They formed two Heats of four Riders with the top three in each advancing to a six Rider Final. In the first group. Chen LiLi (CHN) had some bad luck on the day. However, Shelby Tantar (USA) dominated with a clear three point lead over Caitlin Blaauw (AUS). In the other Heat, Canada’s Sunni Ann Ball lost out as she struggled to overcome back pain. It was Dallas Friday who dominated that Heat. In the Finals, the 14 year old sensation from Florida, Raimi Merritt, who has clocked up four major titles in the past twelve months alone, almost did it again. Her score of 50.78 was extraordinary. This pushed Dallas Friday harder than she may have wished. However, Friday’s gymnastics background and rare talent gives her a major advantage and her score of 60.78 delivered the well deserved title of Doha IWSF Wakeboard World Cup Stop champion.

The Mens format was different. Eight qualifiers split in to four pairs in a Head-to-Head shoot out. Nobody wanted to be drawn against Phillip Soven (USA). He lost out on his chance to take the title of IWSF World Wakeboard Champion last week and was back with a vengeance. As predicted, he put in a stunning performance and beat Dan Nott (GBR) for a Semi-Final place. Surprisingly, the 2005 IWSF World Champion Jeff Weatherall (NZL) also failed to progress as Canada’s Chad Sharpe put in a first class performance. In the other pairings, Daniel Watkins (AUS) and Marc Rossiter (GBR) lost out. Eventually, the perfect finale emerged – Soven versus the new IWSF World Wakeboard Champion Andrew Adkison (USA). This time there was no doubt about the winner. Soven delivered an inspired routine, took the Doha Wakeboard World Cup Stop title and the US$15,000 first prize.

As a sign of the growth of this sport in the region and the impact of the IWSF Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series, the Arab Wakeboard Open Championships, the Qatar Wakeboard Trophy and the Aspire Children’s Master Class lessons were also completed this week. The Master Classes performed by Patrice Martin and Rodo Vinh Tung attracted over 250 young Qatari children to the Diplomatic Club beach site. Kuno Ritschard, President of the IWSF, stated that the future growth potential for the sport in Qatar is enormous and such a high level of interest at junior level needs to be encouraged further.

This 21st IWSF World Cup Stop brings the 2007 season to a very successful conclusion. All of the 2007 IWSF World Cup Stops will be available shortly on DVD at http://www.sportsactiondvds.com The 2006 Series is also still available on DVD for both Wakeboard and Waterski fans at this address.

To see all the results of the Doha Stop of the IWSF World Cup series, go to this address :
http://www.iwsf.com/dbheadlines/headlinefiles/dohawakeboardworldcupresults.htm

PRO WOMEN RESULTS
1. Dallas Friday (USA)
2. Raimi Merritt (USA
3. Shelby Kantar (USA)

PRO MEN RESULTS
1. Phillip Soven (USA)
2. Andrew Adkison (USA)
3. Chad Sharpe (CAN) 

For Sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@iwsf.com

Web Site : www.iwsfworldcup.com

Filed under: Press Releases
Impressive Doha Entries For Wakeboard World Championships, Wakeboard World Cup And Arab Wakeboard Championships

Thursday, October 25, 2007
Posted by Bob Corson

With no less than three sets of major Wakeboard titles to be won in the coming week, the Arabian Gulf City of Doha in Qatar will be the centre of attention for Riders and fans around the world. Sunshine and clear blue skies await the athletes in this country which created the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome. Qatar Marine Sports Federation President, H.E.Sheik Hassan Bin Jabor Althani, and Aspire, the Academy for Sports Excellence, are rightly proud of the enormous facility which houses an indoor Football Pitch, seven Outdoor Pitches, Olympic-sized Swimming Pool, Diving Pool, Combat Arena, Gymnastics Arena, Weight Rooms, Lecture Halls, Medical Centre, Catering facilities and dormitory space for 1,000 students. The International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) President, Kuno Ritschard, stated that he sees Doha as a vital base for high quality water sports development in the future.

 
At the man-made canal in the shadow of Doha’s Diplomatic Club, all the attention will now be on the water. The seven day programme will include the IWSF Wakeboard World Championships, the Arab Wakeboard Championships and the 21st and last Stop of 2007 IWSF Wakeboard World Cup series.
 
 
In the Wakeboard World Championships, over 150 Riders from 23 Nations will compete. For some it will be their first major international experience. For others it will be a time to accumulate important titles on a major world stage. In Moscow in 2005, there were some real surprises in these IWSF Championships. In Open Men, Jeff Weatherall (NZL) took the Men’s World Champion title, ahead of Philip Soven (USA) and Josh Sanders (AUS). Judging by recent results, Philip Soven (USA) is likely to be on the podium again with very stiff challenges expected from Jeff Weatherall (NZL), Daniel Watkins (AUS), Danny Harf (USA) and many others. In Open Women, again going back to the Moscow World Championships, Andrea Fountain (NZL) took the World Champion title ahead of Louise Moore (GBR) and Denise DeHaan (NED). This time around, Dallas Friday (USA) looks unbeatable but there will be tough challenges from Raime Merritt (USA), Sunni Ann Ball (CAN), Chen LiLi (CHN) and many other rising stars. It promises to be an enthralling duel between the very best Riders in the world.
 
In the final Stop of the 2007 IWSF Wakeboard World Cup series, while there are two highly tipped title favorites, the overall season champion title is still open to challenge. The top stars at this point are Philip Soven (USA) and Dallas Friday (USA). Both have had spectacular seasons. Soven has recently taken the World Cup Stop title in Singapore and was runner-up to Danny Harf (USA) in 2006. Friday just walked away with the Singapore title in September and is now fully recovered from her nasty accident of one year ago. However, Emily Copeland Durham, the defending World Cup series champion will certainly mount a serious challenge. The World Cup standards this year have been the highest to date. Following 21 successful Stops around the World, the series has played a major role in attracting new audiences. That Doha cash prize purse of $60,000 adds an extra competition dimension.
 
The Arab Wakeboard Championships will give all a rare opportunity to spot the champions of the future. Having access to warm water for twelve months of the year offers perfect training conditions. Add this to the unique facilities offered by Aspire and the future looks bright for the region.
 
MasterCraft, sponsors of the entire IWSF World Cup series, will again provide the boats and technical support.

For Sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@iwsf.com

Web Site : www.iwsfworldcup.com


International Waterski Federation

Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup



Official Towboat Sponsor
for 2007 World Cup
Filed under: Press Releases
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