To mark the 60^th Anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China at the International Aquatic Carnival in the City of Liuzhou, the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) will present the next Stop of the successful World Cup series in a truly spectacular location. This will all take place over the coming October 1^st / 3^rd weekend.

Liuzhou Prefecture is the industrial centre of Guangxi Province located on the banks of the winding Liu River in Central-Southwest China. It is 727km west of Hong Kong. With a history of over 2,000 years development, the City is now a base for three of China’s top vehicle manufacturers. It is also a centre for steel production, heavy engineering, forestry, sugar cane, silk and fruit. Surrounded by rolling hills, caves and dramatic limestone karst landscape, it is a very popular tourist area. Liuzhou is also the home of the famous Li Ning, China’s Gymnast Entrepreneur who lit the Olympic torch in Beijing in 2008. Situated in a Monsoon Climate zone, at this time of the year the temperature in Liuzhou is approximately 30C / 90Fh.

The previous 27^th IWWF World Cup Stop was staged on the Volga River in the City of Dubna in Russia and included Shortboard and Jump.  This next 28^th World Cup Stop will take place on Liuzhou’s very attractive downtown riverfront. It will again include the world’s highest ranked Waterski Jumpers but will also feature the world’s most successful Wakeboard Riders. As part of Liuzhou’s ambitious programme to expand its strong international watersports reputation, a five-year agreement has recently been signed with the IWWF to develop this World Cup event over the coming years in order to attract a wider Chinese involvement and especially at youth level.

Water Sports Administration of China, Chinese Waterski Association, Liuzhou Sports Council and the IWWF, have successfully worked in partnership with Liuzhou Municipal Government to bring the World Cup series to this region. The chief sponsor will be leading vehicle manufacturers SGMW, a joint venture between SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd., Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co. Ltd and GM China. Once again, MasterCraft will be the official Boat sponsor, having filled this position for the past 27 World Cup Stops.

The entry lists of Wakeboard Riders and Waterski Jumpers is one of the most impressive to date. With 33 Riders plus 20 Jumpers, a total of 17 countries will be represented. These will include Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand and USA.

The World Cup Timetable is as follows :

October 1 – Thursday

20.00hrs  – International Aquatic Carnival Opening Ceremony

October 2 – Friday

09.00hrs -  Wakeboard Women Semi-Finals

10.30hrs – Wakeboard Men Quarter-Finals

14.30hrs – Jump Women Semi-Finals

16.10hrs – Jump Men Semi-Finals

18.00hrs – World Cup Press Conference

October 3 – Saturday

10.30hrs – Wakeboard Men Semi-Finals

13.30hrs – Official World Cup Opening Ceremony

14.05hrs – World Cup Wakeboard Women Finals

15.00hrs – World Cup Wakeboard Men Finals

15.53hrs – World Cup Jump Women Finals

16.05hrs – World Cup Jump Men Finals

17.10hrs  – World Cup Award Ceremony

17.50hrs – World Cup Press Conference

END