MAJOR 2006 GLOBAL TOUR PLUS $700,000 CASH PRIZE ANNOUNCED FOR WATERSKI & WAKEBOARD WORLD CUP SERIES Full details of the 2006 calendar of events for the well established Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series were released today in Switzerland by Kuno Ritschard, President of the International Waterski Federation. The World Cup series has brought the highest ranked Waterski and Wakeboard athletes to major downtown locations over the past two years to maximize exposure to the public. In 2006, the inclusion of an exotic location as the first Stop of the season will mark a new trend to further broaden the appeal and in particular for TV audiences. With a total of seven confirmed Stops on the schedule, this will be the biggest World Cup series to date. APRIL 14-16 WORLD CUP WATERSKI LANGKAWI...

USA AND GREAT BRITAIN TAKE MAJOR 2005 OVERALL WORLD CUP WAKEBOARD TITLES The 2005 Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series concluded with the successful HSBC Wakeboard World Cup Stop in Singapore. With world-wide Stops this year in Paris, Moscow, Dubna, Northern Ireland and Singapore, the International Waterski Federation  is already well advanced in preparing for a further expansion of the World Cup series in 2006. The 2005 Waterski World Cup series winners were announced following the Enniskillen, Northern Ireland Stop. Now that the final Wakeboard Stop has been concluded, the series winners have also now been declared. The 2005 Pro Men World Cup Wakeboard Champion is Orlando based Rider Phillip Soven (USA). He took this title decisively by winning every Stop with style this year....

USA WAKEBOARD RIDERS TAKE TOP TITLES AT HSBC WORLD CUP STOP IN SINGAPORE The last Stop of the IWSF 2005 Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series finished with perfect weather, hot sunshine, outstanding performances plus 17,000 cheering spectators at Bedok Reservoir in the city of Singapore. This was 5,000 spectators greater than last year. The total cash prize available was also a series record at US$ 90,800. Within the prize fund, HSBC and the Singapore Sports Council offered US$10,800 to the first Wakeboard Rider who successfully performed a 1080 maneuver. This complex triple rotation involves six handle passes in the air. It has never been successfully performed in competition. Londoner Dan Nott and Orlando’s Phillip Soven got within inches of achieving the impossible in this...

HSBC TITLE SPONSOR OF FINAL STOP OF 2005 WAKEBOARD WORLD CUP SERIES WITH US$90,800 CASH PRIZE One of the most successful Stops of the entire 2004 Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series took place on the Bedok Reservoir in Singapore one year ago. HSBC, the world’s local bank, will again be the title sponsor of the Wakeboard World Cup Stop in Singapore next weekend on October 22/23 The World Cup brings the highest ranked Riders and Skiers to major cities around the world and has attracted both large numbers of spectators and media attention over the past two years at all Stops. The Bedok Reservoir in Singapore, in the heart of exotic Southeast Asia, will again stage this major international sports event. Last year, over 12,000 spectators packed the landscaped shoreline of the Reservoir....

WATERSKI WORLD CUP 2005 SERIES CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCED The International Waterski Federation has announced details of the 2005 Waterski World Cup Champions for this year’s Series. At the end of this second full year of successful Stops around the World, the formula of staging each Stop in downtown locations has proved to be very popular. International Press and TV coverage has continued to grow and already the 2006 World Cup Calendar is close to being full. The accumulation of points earned at each Stop dictates the winners in Slalom, Tricks and Jump for both Men and Women. The IWSF Tournament Council Chairman, Bob Corson, is responsible for the calculations and the details are followed closely by all athletes involved at http://www.iwsf.com/. SLALOM : Michelle Simpson (USA) , 21...

WORLD CHAMPIONS AND ENNISKILLEN CASTLE PRODUCE QUALITY ENDING TO WATERSKI WORLD CUP 2005 The riverside 12th century mediaeval Enniskillen Castle in Northern Ireland witnessed a spectacular final conclusion to the 2005 Waterski World Cup series of the International Waterski Federation. This venue had everything – a historic setting, a picturesque natural arena in a downtown location, a very appreciative and large spectator audience, an experienced management organization and a welcoming atmosphere. This brought out the best in all involved. After a cool and misty autumnal start, even the weather cooperated throughout the Finals ! Just back from the successful Waterski World Championships in Tianjin, China, the newly crowned World Champions, Nicolas LeForestier (FRA), Ageliki Andriopoulou...

ENNISKILLEN TO HOST THE FINAL 2005 WATERSKI WORLD CUP STOP  Lough Erne, in the west of Northern Ireland, is surrounded by some of Europe’s most uncongested waterways. This lakeside area contains 154 islands and is ideal for Sailing, Cruising, Canoeing and Fishing. Enniskillen, the island town in the centre, was originally the home of medieval chieftains and is Ireland’s only island town. Following many months of preparations by Northern Ireland Events Company, the biggest Waterski event to be staged this year in Europe is on the way ! The final Stop of the 2005 Waterski World Cup will take place in front of Enniskillen Castle on September 24th and 25th. Only those who have reached the top of the World Ranking Lists of the International Waterski Federation in Slalom, Tricks and...

USA, FRANCE AND GREAT BRITAIN DOMINATE TEAM SCORES AT SPECTACULAR VANKE WATERSKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CHINA Four days of very competitive Preliminary Rounds, glorious sunshine, live TV coverage with 20 cameras on site and first class facilities, all set a perfect stage for the 2005 Finals of the Vanke Waterski World Championships at Dongli Lake in Tianjin, China. The DongLi Lake Spa Resort location is a two hour drive south east of Beijing. The highly impressive night time Opening Ceremony set the tone for the entire Championships. The Beijing Opera performers, Chinese traditional music portraying the Tang Dynasty, Fireworks, Lighting Displays, Water Ballet, Dragons, Drums and Show Skiing, were a sign of the standards anticipated. None were disappointed by what followed. The bi-annual...

SPECTACULAR START TO VANKE WATERSKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TIANJIN, CHINA Most World Championships kick off with an Opening Ceremony. In China, this is done on a grand scale. With CCTV providing live coverage for 800 million viewers, over 300 people involved in the Ceremony coordination and display, the 142 visiting athletes from 28 countries witnessed something very special. The perfectly timed night time programme included water ballet,the Beijing Opera, barefoot skiing, show skiing with two enormous pyramids, drums, dragons, lions and a show stopping fireworks display. This set a tone of excellence for the serious week ahead. Today, Tuesday, saw the start of the Preliminary rounds – with Slalom for Men and Women first. Following three days of 34C / 98F temperatures, the...

Loss Of Sheers And Rogers Opens Up Titles At 2005 Vanke Waterski World Championships LOSS OF SHEERS AND ROGERS OPENS UP TITLES AT 2005 VANKE WATERSKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS The bi-annual Waterski World Championships have already caught the attention of Waterskiers in 92 countries affiliated to the International Water Ski Federation  – and they don’t even start till August 15th in Tianjin, China! With over 30 million active Waterskiers in the World today, there is a major battle on the horizon. Why so much excitement so early?  Apart from the spectacular Dongli Lake site choice, there are certainly many titles for the taking this time around. Consider the following. Emma Sheers (AUS) is both the current Women’s World Slalom and Jump Champion. Due to recent knee surgery,...