The World Cup Series of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) first came to this rapidly developing city of Linyi in 2011. With it’s 2,400 year history and a population of over 10 million, the September 26/27  World Cup Stop will again attract thousands of spectators to enjoy the skills of  the world’s most talented Wakeboard riders. At that first event here four years ago, a spectacular grandstand was constructed on the banks of the Yi River to celebrate the occasion. This has since become a significant water-sports centre. Linyi is located south of Beijing on the main Beijing-Shanghai Expressway.

MasterCraft will once again provide the competition boats and technical support for this World Cup Stop. They have mastered the global logistics challenge from the very start which is an extraordinary achievement considering the fact that 44 Stops have been completed by the IWWF since the birth of this Series.

The current male and female IWWF World Wakeboard Champions will both join those athletes from 17 countries in Linyi, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Sweden, Thailand and USA.

Last year, Australian riders in Linyi took four of the six available World Cup medals. Can they repeat this outstanding achievement ? Looking at their lineup for September 26/27, they might just do that. Certainly, the Pro Men will stand a good chance of dominating with 22 year-old World Wakeboard Champion Harley Clifford from Queensland,18 year-old Cory Teunissen from Brisbane and 19 year-old Tony Iacconi from New South Wales. Clifford, regarded as the most talented rider in the world today, captured both the coveted Moomba Masters and US Masters gold medals this year with an unprecedented perfect score at the Masters. He also won eight World Cup gold medals in recent years, including two at Linyi. Teunissen had a major victory last March when he beat all to take the Mandurah Western Australia World Cup gold medal. He already has a Junior Rookie of the Year title.  Iaconni took the silver medal in Linyi last year and added gold medals at both the Asia Oceania Wakeboard Championships and National Wakeboard Championships. This Australian trio will pose an enormous challenge to the others. However, Australia might struggle with the Pro Women. Their super stars Amber Wing and Bec Gange cannot attend. Wing and international rider Dean Smith recently celebrated the arrival of their baby boy William and Gange is recovering from injury. That will leave an interesting challenge for the very talented 17 year-old Australian Chloe Mills to fill the gap on the World Cup podium.

Pro Men Riders from Japan, Ireland, USA, Russia and others will certainly push hard to topple the Australian dominance of last year. Watch especially for Shota Tezuka JPN, David O’Caoimh IRL, Daniel Powers USA and Nikita Martyanov RUS. All are capable of getting on to that World Cup podium at this YiHe Open Wakeboard Championships. The Pro Women will also be very competitive with Raimi Merritt USA, the defending Linyi World Cup and World Champion, Nicola Butler USA, the 2015 Mandurah World Cup Champion and Caroline Djupsjo SWE, the Europe Africa Champion, having all performed well this season. The enormous number of cheering spectators in the grandstand and on the banks of the Yi River will certainly make this a very special event for all.

The local area weather forecast is good with temperatures expected to be a comfortable 25C / 77Fh.

Facebook & Twitter : #LinyiWorldCup

TV SHOWS – Immediately following the September 26/27 event, details of this YiHe Open / #LinyiWorldCup TV show will be announced on WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

Photo Albums & Updates – will be available here :

https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED

Results – will be available here :

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/boatwake/competitions/2015

END

RECORD NUMBER OF FORTY COUNTRIES EXPECTED TO TAKE PART IN CABLE WAKEBOARD & JUMP WORLD CUP SHANGHAI OCT 3/4

Shanghai is about to witness the biggest international Cable Wakeboard / Waterski event ever staged by the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF).

Never before in the organization of forty-four previous World Cup Stops has the IWWF seen so many countries represented at an international Cable event. Last year, fourteen countries took part in Shanghai. This year, that number of countries is set to increase to forty. For the record, they are listed below. History will be made in Shanghai at Bi Hai Jin Sha Water Park on October 3^rd/4^th when this Shanghai Cable Wakeboard & Jump World Cup comes to town !

Two disciplines are involved, Wakeboard and Jump. While the Wakeboard World Cup Stop scheduled for Linyi China on September 26/27 will be boat powered by MasterCraft, this Shanghai event on the following weekend will use the revolutionary and environment friendly Rixen electric Cable system. This concept was presented by the IWWF to the board of International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently for consideration for inclusion in the Games. Global sales of Cable systems are booming. Owing to their popularity, already the Olympic Rowing Lakes in Beijing and Barcelona have installed these systems to further improve their legacy values.

When asked why this enormous increase in participating countries has occurred, IWWF President Kuno Ritschard stated that this is a direct result of the global boom in the installation of these low cost Cable systems, their attractiveness to the growing youth sector and their environment friendly features.

The quality of the athletes listed for this event is the highest we have seen to date. Athletes from Belarus dominated all in Jump last year. In fact, the eventual winner of the Women’s Jump event, Iryna Turets BLR, tied a new World Jump Record of 48.9m with Joulia Meier-Gromyko BLR. That World Record will again be threatened this year. In the Men’s Jump event, Nikita Papakul, also from Belarus, beat the World Champion Alexander Vasko SVK with a distance of 61.6m. Based on recent performances, Russia’s Europe Africa Jump Champion Vladimir Ryanzin will also be a very strong contender.

This year, Cable Wakeboard will be added to the Shanghai programme for the first time. This entry list will include IWWF World Cable Wakeboard Champions Sanne Maijer NED and Lior Sofer ISR. Also taking part will be the World Cup gold medal winners from the 2014 Bank of Beijing Shunyi World Cup Stop, Maxine Sapulette NED and Dominik Guhrs GER. Over 35 National Champions have entered in this unprecedented entry list. Whoever succeeds in reaching this Shanghai World Cup podium in Wakeboard or Jump on Sunday, October 4th. will truly deserve the title of champion of champions !

Temperature of 27C / 81Fh and sunny skies are forecasted for the weekend of October 3^rd/4^th  at Bi Hai Jin Sha Water Park in Shanghai.

Hashtag Facebook & Twitter & Instagram : #ShanghaiWorldCup

TV SHOWS – Immediately following the October 3/4 event, details of this Shanghai Cable Wakeboard & Jump World Cup Stop TV show / #ShanghaiWorldCup will be announced on WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

Photo Albums & Updates – will be available here :

https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED

Results – will be available here :

Wakeboard:

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/boatwake/competitions/2015

Jump:

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/cableski/competitions/2015

LATEST LIST OF PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES :

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Canada, China, Chile, Czech Republic, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, UAE, USA.

END

#LinyiWorldCup

#ShanghaiWorldCup

All the World Cup focus will be on China over the coming three weeks. Both our Riders and Skiers are delighted to be returning to these two great cities in celebration of our 44th and 45th World Cup Stops – and extraordinary achievement for any sporting Series. MasterCraft also will provide the competition boats yet again and hats off to them as they have supported our World Cup right from the very beginning back in 2004 and you can just imagine what those global logistics challenges were along the way to get the boats on site.

First up will be the City of Linyi on September 26/27. This will be a WAKEBOARD event. The Entry List already includes 10 of the top Pro Women in the world today – and 18 of the top Pro Men. It is one of the best we have seen for some time. For most, it will be a welcome return to this wonderful site with its own purpose built grandstand right on the banks of the Yi River in Downtown Linyi. With it’s 2,400 year history, this special location first hosted a World Cup Stop back in 2011. With the full support of our friends at the Chinese Water Ski Association and the City of Linyi, huge crowds are expected to enjoy this second last World Cup Stop of 2015.

Last time around, this World Cup /  YiHe Open Championships was dominated by Australian Riders – taking six of the eight available medals. As Australia’s World Cup Stars Bec Gange (injured) and Amber Wing (new baby) will not take part this time, it might be difficult to repeat that major achievement this time around. However, with Harley Clifford, Tony Iacconi, Cory Teunissen and Chloe Mills on the Starting List, watch out for more Oz Magic !

With so many outstanding Riders joining us in Linyi, this will truly be a battle of the giants. Shota Tezuka JPN, David O’Caoimh IRL, Massi Piffaretti ITA, Daniel Powers USA, Nikita Martyanov RUS, Raimi Merritt USA, Carro Djupsjo SWE, Nicola Butler USA , Ashley Leugner CAN  and many others will all push the Ozzies to their absolute limit.

While we will not have a live Webcast this time, our Linyi TV Show will be distributed globally shortly after these World Cup Stops in China. Watch out for Broadcast details in your area over the coming weeks.

More news on our Shanghai World Cup Stop shortly …..

WORLD CUP Highlights will also be uploaded to YouTube

www.IWWF.tv

WORLD CUP Photos & Updates on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED

https://www.facebook.com/groups/23150062671/?fref=ts

The Timetable for our Linyi World Cup Stop / YiHe Open Championships is as follows :

(watch out for any last minute changes on site)

FRIDAY Sept 25th

12.00-17.30 – Official Practice

SATURDAY Sept 26th

09.30 – 10.30 – Opening Ceremony & Waterski Show

10.30 – 11.45 – Pro Women Wakeboard Semi-Finals

13.30 – 15.30 – Pro Men Wakeboard Quarter Finals

16.15 – 17.30 – Pro Men Wakeboard LCQ

SUNDAY Sept 27th

09.00 – 09.45 – Pro Women Wakeboard LCQ

09.45 – 10.15 – Waterski Show

10.15 – 11.30 – Pro Men Wakeboard Semi Finals

14.00 – 14.45 – Pro Women Wakeboard FINAL

14.45 – 15.30 – Pro Men Wakeboard FINALS

15.30 – 166.30 – Waterski Show

16.30 – 17.00 – World Cup Award Ceremony

It has been an extraordinary Friday and Saturday here in Mandurah, Western Australia. Following a very impressive Press Conference with live TV cover and a wonderful Opening Ceremony featuring the Traditional Owners, athletes from 21 countries battled for Finals places. The Riders still have a phase to complete tomorrow morning, Sunday. For the Jumpers is was a different matter !

A tropical cyclone hit the coast north of Perth on Friday. This impacted the Waterski Jump conditions. The courage of eight women was tested but they impressed all with some truly gutsy performances. Jacinta Carroll AUS continued her winning ways with 48.8m to come out on top. Next came Natallia Berdnikava BLR 46.6m, Jutta Menistrina FIN 46.1m, and June Fladborg Asher DEN 46.6. As the top four, they now go to the Sunday Finals.

COMPETE AT PACKED JAKABARING SPORTS COMPLEX

 ALL RESULTS BELOW

This was the 37^th World Cup Stop in the series of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF). Hot on the heels of last month’s World Cup Stop in Mandurah, Western Australia, it was another thriller. Young new rising stars and a host of seasoned winners were cheered till sunset at this exotic location situated almost on the Equator. It was certainly a hot one !

The events involved were Wakeboard, Jump and Shortboard.

In Wakeboard, now under consideration for the 2020 Olympic Games, the two biggest international stars wowed the thousands of spectators once again. Eighteen-year-old Harley Clifford AUS has a global fan base. Today he added thousands more here in Indonesia. He has already taken two major titles this year – gold medal at Melbourne’s Moomba Masters and gold medal again at the World Cup Stop in Mandurah Western Australia. While Japan’s Shota Tezuka dominated the field with a score of 81.02, as the last into the arena, Clifford responded with a perfect 93.33. That is domination at it’s best. Andrew Adkison USA took third place.

Secondly, Raimi Merrit USA, was on a mission. As the current Wakeboard World and World Cup Champion, she suffered a recent defeat to Australia’s Bec Gange at the previous World Cup Stop. However, aided by a new training regimen, today she was flawless and her score of 70.24 was enough to beat both Gange and Nicola Butler GBR who also joined her on the Palembang Podium.

In Women’s Shortboard, weather intervened. The otherwise excellent 33C / 96Fh conditions suddenly turned to a brief Tropical storm at a point where World Record Holder Clementine Lucine FRA had the lead with 8840 points. Just as the seventeen-year-old sensation, Erika Lang from Arizona USA, was about to enter the water, we all dived for cover. The storm passed but Lang was certainly knocked off her stride and never really settled when she finally got to compete. Sadly, she missed a Podium place this time but Lucine was thrilled to be back in winning form once again. Iris Cambray FRA and Alex Lauretano USA took second and third places.

Men’s Shortboard managed to miss that weather front. Three athletes scored over the rare 10,000 point mark. Herman Beliakou BLR actually beat the current World Record Holder Aliaksei Zharnasek from the same country at the recent Mandurah World Cup Stop. Zharnasek got his revenge today with one of the best performances we have seen for some time. His score of 11,270 points was one thousand ahead of Beliakou on this occasion. Adam Sedlmajer CZE took third with another superb run of 10,140 points.

Finally, as the spectators packed the entire purpose-built waterski lake in the Jakabaring sports Complex, it was time for the Jump discipline. This extreme sport never fails to capture the imagination of fans around the world. In the Women’s event, a cross wind made it challenging for the less experienced. Finland’s Jutta Lammi landed an impressive 47.0m early on to take the lead. Australia’s super star Jacinta Carroll quickly responded with a distance of 48.9m. This just left Florida based Marion Mathieu FRA, one of the most consistent Jumpers today. Her distance 47.4m however was only enough for second place and gold today went to twenty-year-old Jacinta Carroll.

The Men’s Jump event was the last of the day. Conditions on the water had improved steadily. Britain’s Damien Sharman scored a distance of 60.5m as the first of six Finalists to compete. Only the last two competitors could actually better this. Germany’s Bojan Schipner, in his very first World Cup Final, scored 59.7m to reach second best at that moment. The World Record Holder and World Champion, Freddy Krueger USA, then entered the arena to huge applause. His reputation of being almost unbeatable had already reached Indonesia !  When he landed a winning score of 64.1m and waved to the huge crowd, it was a perfect ending to one of the most enjoyable World Cup Stops to date.

At the formal Closing Ceremony on site, following a spectacular display of traditional dancing and music, as the fireworks show concluded, the Governor of South Sumatra, Alex Noerdin, declared that he would like to see the World Cup series return for many years to come. The athletes from twenty-five countries and World Cup team certainly welcomed this as the site was constructed for the Southeast Asian Games and the facilities are Olympic class. Palembang may now well be viewed as Indonesia’s watersports centre.

RESULTS :

SHORTBOARD & JUMP RESULTS – CLICK HERE

WAKEBOARD RESULTS BELOW :

Never before has a WORLD CUP STOP been made so easy to enjoy – even if you are not lucky enough to be with the Waterski and Wakeboard Stars at the beautiful seaside City of Mandurah in Western Australia ! The date is the weekend of March 16/17 – St Patrick’s Day for many – so this will be very easy to remember.

So, here are your options :

LIVE FREE WORLD CUP WEBCAST  – www.IWWF.tv

TWITTER : @EYRES_ASG

FACEBOOK : http://www.facebook.com/pages/EYRES-Action-Sports-Games-Mandurah

‘And don’t forget to follow our reports and photos and results also here on this World Cup Website – just BOOKMARK this page right now !

In the coming weeks, we will issue a series of  WORLD CUP NEWS RELEASES and they will be featured both here and on our International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation Website at : www.IWWFED.com

‘Ever wish you could travel with the mega stars in our sport and enjoy the fantastic skills of our WORLD CUP Skiers and Riders performing in exotic locations all over the world ? Watching it all LIVE really does make a difference. Seeing Freddy Krueger, Harley Clifford, Raimi Merrit, Frederic von Osten, Sophia Marie Reimers or Natalia Berdnikava perform under pressure is a special treat. Watching them climb the WORLD CUP PODIUM even gives you a chance to applaud. Well, here is the next best thing !

From now on, you will be able to watch at home, not only our WORLD CUP STOPS, but also our Waterski and Wakeboard World Championships Webcasts – and it is all FREE !

All you have to do is bookmark and click on this site :

WWW.IWWF.TV

Please feel free to pass this good news on to your friends too so that they can also enjoy this FREE experience. Right now there is a fantastic collection of WORLD CUP clips already uploaded. Watch out also for our 35th WORLD CUP STOP in Mandurah, Western Australia scheduled for March 16/17. Those details will be published here soon but once you have bookmarked the LINK above, you will know where to go for EVERY WORLD CUP STOP from now on.

DON’T FORGET – WWW.IWWF.TV

Franck and Gianna tie the knot

Congratulations to Franck Desboyaux FRA and his new bride Gianna on their big day last week. Franck has thrilled our World Cup audiences in Russia, Malaysia and many other locations over the years but with all his Waterski comments does not get back to his hometown of Paris very often these days.

Franck’s Personal Best score in Tricks / Shortboard exceeds 11,000 points and that speaks for itself. We have seen him on the Podium collecting medals at both our World Cup and also in the World U21 Waterski Championships. Now a new life awaits our World Cup Star.   We all look forward to seeing Franck and Gianna at our next World Cup Stop soon. This will be our 34th Stop and you will find all the details here as soon as we can bring them to you.

Congratulations Franck and Gianna from all your World Cup fans.

World Cup Star Ageliki Andriopoulou GRE will defend her World Jump Champion title

Every two years, countries around the world select their very best Waterski athletes to compete for the titles of World Champion in their respective disciplines. With over 30 million active participants in our sport, all eyes will be on these 2011 World Championships taking place on July 17/24 in Russia. We will especially watch our World Cup Stars in action as they fight for World Champion titles in the coming days.

This weekend will see athletes, IWWF officials and supporters arriving at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo Airports for transfer to the City of Dubna on the picturesque Volga River. Dubna, Russia’s watersports capital and renowned for its international academic facilities and research centres, is steeped in Waterski history. Local Russian athlete, Natalia Rumyantseva, set five World Tricks Records dating back to 1979. The City also has the unique distinction of having hosted six successful Waterski World Cup Stops in recent years and will provide a spectacular stage for this major sporting occasion.

All World Cup followers will already have seen photos of the 30,000 permanent seats at Dubna’s World Cup Watersports Arena. This will bring a special atmosphere to these World Championships. City Mayor Valery Prokh and his team have worked wonders in developing the local watersports facilities in this Region of Moscow, widely regarded as the best in Russia. MasterCraft will supply the competition boats and Chief judge, Nikki Lee USA will manage the 21 IWWF officials and technicians who will travel from fourteen countries to ensure success.

Throughout the 2011 World Waterski Championships, a special information channel will be available at :

http://www.iwsftournament.com/ChiefJudgeBB

There will also be an active Twitter feed at : @ChiefJudgeDubna

The latest available Timetable summary for next week’s activities is as follows :

Saturday 16^th:

Accreditation

Sunday 17^th :

Accreditation and Official Opening Ceremony

Monday 18^th :

Preliminary Rounds – Slalom and Jump / Men & Women

Tuesday 19^th :

Preliminary Rounds – Slalom Men and Tricks Women and Men

Wednesday 20^th:

Preliminary Rounds  - Slalom Women and Men , Women Jump and Men Tricks – and International Hall of Fame Ceremony

Thursday 21^st Morning :

IWWF World Congress

Thursday 21^st Afternoon :

Preliminary Rounds – Men Jump

Friday 22^nd:

Completion of Preliminary Rounds

Saturday 23^rd : Finals Women Slalom, Men Tricks, Women Jump – and Medals Presentation

Sunday 24^th :

Finals Men Slalom, Women Tricks and Men Jump – and Medals Presentation

Sunday 24^th :

Closing Ceremony, Banquet and Volga River Cruise

The very hospitable Dubna organizers are renowned for their enthralling Opening and Closing Ceremony presentations. As this is the most important Waterski tournament ever organized at this very impressive Watersports Arena in Russia, some surprises await the athletes and audience during what promises to be a fascinating World Waterski Championships.

Reports and photos will be available throughout these Championships at :

http://www.iwwfed.com

World Leisure Games and the World Cup site

It’s World Cup time again !

The Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup series will celebrate the staging of its 30^th Stop in the picturesque 1,000 year-old City of ChunCheon. This is  located in the north east corner of South Korea and takes place on August 29^th / 30^th. This host City of the first ever World Leisure Games will welcome over 13,000 athletes from 50 countries, scheduled to compete in 15 different sports at this major international inaugural event.

ChunCheon City is also a perfect location for this 30^th anniversary of the Waterski &

Mt.Gubong and ChunCheon City

Wakeboard World Cup. It is surrounded by lakes on the north, south and west boundaries and is home to five Universities. A very popular tourist area, it stages a wide variety of both Summer and Winter Festivals, including the Snow & Ice Festival in January. Temperatures at the end of August for the World Leisure Games are expected to be a comfortable 28-29C / 86-88Fh

The Korean Waterski and Wakeboard Association (KWWA) and the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) have worked closely for over a year on the

Rider Rusty Malinoski heading for Korea

preparations for this 30^th World Cup Stop. As ChunCheon City is famous for its Watersports, Spas and Hot Springs, the arrival of the World Cup will add greatly to its range of attractions. This Stop  will include Wakeboard, Waterski Jump and Waterski Shortboard, also known as Tricks. Only the highest IWWF ranked athletes are eligible to compete. At this time those who have qualified for entry include World Champions and World Record Holders. They represent 17 countries including Australia, Belgium, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Singapore and USA.  As the 30^th World Cup Stop, it will highlight the success of a Series which has already brought the thrills of both Waterski and Wakeboard to large audiences in China, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Singapore, Qatar, Russia – and now Korea. Already, the 2011 World Cup calendar is looking promising for the future of the Series. As for all 30 World Cup Stops to date, MasterCraft will again supply the sophisticated competition boats and technical support throughout the event.

Freddy Krueger to challenge for this World Cup Jump title

With a combination of World Cup TV News Edits transmitted via Satellite and an edited World Cup TV show, the highlights of this ChunCheon City Stop on Uiam Lake will be distributed to over 500 million viewers following the event. The World Leisure Games will also be televised live throughout South Korea.

Details of the final list of international World Cup competitors will be released shortly.

Also featured throughout the event will be The Stars Of Florida – a spectacular Waterski Show. This will add further to the focus on this World Cup Stop in ChunCheon City.

For more information, please see : waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com

The timetable for the 30^th Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup Stop is as follows :

Aug. 28 – SATURDAY

09:00 – Official Practice

13:00 – World Cup Opening Ceremony

14:00 – Official Practice

19:00 – Opening Ceremony World Leisure Games

Aug. 29 – SUNDAY

09:00 – Women Wakeboard Preliminary Round

10:30 – Men Wakeboard Qualifications

13:30 – Women Shortboard/Tricks Preliminary Round

14:30 – Men Shortboard/Tricks Preliminary Round

16:30 – Women Waterski Jump Preliminary Round

17:30 – Men Waterski Jump Preliminary Round

Aug. 30 – MONDAY

09:00 – Men Wakeboard Semi Finals

10:50 – Women Shortboard/Tricks Finals

11:40 – Men Shortboard/Tricks Finals

12:30 – Women Waterski Jump Finals

13:30 – Men Waterski Jump Finals

14:30 – Women Wakeboard Finals

15:30 – Men Wakeboard Finals

17:00 – Award Ceremony – Water Sports Park

19:00 – Farewell Party Bears Hotel