IWWF WATERSKI & WAKEBOARD WORLD CUP

A TRULY GLOBAL EXPOSURE

SLALOM

Waterski and Wakeboard are both known and understood by nearly everybody. Some estimate that there are over 30 million active participants in the world! The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) was founded in 1946 and today comprises over 90 national Federations covering all continents.

The Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup was established by the IWWF in 2004 with a simple objective – to bring the very best athletes in the world to major downtown locations and places of unique tourist interest. This exposes the sport to large audiences, Sponsors, TV Networks and the Media generally. It also puts the international spotlight on each of the Host cites, providing an opportunity for global audiences to see its attractions. This in turn delivers a natural boost to local tourism programmes and significant venue developments.

No more than 10 World Cup Stops are scheduled each year. Only the world’s top athletes in the different disciplines, Slalom, Jump, Shortboard and Wakeboard qualify for participation.

The World Cup is not just a competition but a weekend full of excitement, entertainment and activity. Attractions which may be added include a spectacular ski show by the Stars of Florida, learn to ski and ride programmes for kids or Barefoot jumping.

Each skier must enter the slalom course through the gate buoys and then somehow get around six buoys before successfully getting out through the exit gate. This is called a “Clear Pass”. Sounds easy! Well here is how we change all that. While the boat speed is fixed – controlled by GPS satellite and not the boat driver – the rope length is not. It is shortened after each Clear Pass. The crucial fact is that the distance from the boat center to each of the six slalom buoys measures 11.5m. The best Slalom skiers achieve scores on ropes as short as 9.75m in length – and that’s 1.75m too short to get around each buoy! After each turn, Slalom skiers will absorb over 600lbs/272kg pressure crossing the wake. The skier who gets around the most buoys on the shortest rope wins.

SLALOM

JUMP

Jump is the most adre-

nalin pumping discipline and the

risks are enormous. The skier who “catapults”

over the floating jump ramp and scores the longest distance

from that point is the winner. While the boat speed is the same for all – again controlled by GPS satellite and not the driver, the jumper can greatly increase the speed at which he hits the jump ramp. By cutting out as far as possible away from the direct boat path, he can create an extraordinary pendulum effect and hit the base of the jump ramp at almost a right angle to the boat. The best jumpers achieve a speed of over 100kph/60mph at that point, soar over 70m/230ft and land safely – most of the time!

THE PERFECT WORLD CUP VENUE

JUMP

Rock Concerts, Football, Motor Racing, and the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup have a lot in common. Each needs a venue which can comfortably accommodate large numbers of spectators, has easy access to hotel accommodation and airports, some special facilities for the participants and offers a great spectacle for TV audiences. Exotic scenery adds even more to the occasion!

Downtown locations are ideal – where a calm river, lake, reservoir or lagoon is available and backwash is minimized. Many cities around the world have invested enormous amounts of public funds in waterfront facilities and the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup can be added as one of the main attractions to any Waterfest or City festival.

The Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series is now well established. Several locations have hosted numerous Stops and included in recent years were the following:

Over the two days of competition involved at each Stop, spectator numbers ranged from 17,000 to over 100,000.

London - EnglandEnghien-les-Bains - FranceDubna and Moscow - RussiaDoha - QatarBedok Reservoir and Marina Bay - SingaporeChangshu, Linyi, Liuzhou and Beijing - ChinaChuncheon - South Korea

Enniskillen - Northern IrelandMandurah - AustraliaTokyo - JapanPalembang (South Sumatra) - IndonesiaPutrajaya, Kuching (Borneo) - MalaysiaAlexandria - Egypt

THE GLOBAL WORLD CUP STARS

SHORTBOARD

Wherever it takes place, each World Cup Stop creates a truly international spectacle. The involvement of both Men and Women adds to the glamorous competitive atmosphere. We are fortunate that the experienced stars of our sport have had considerable exposure to the Media over the years. They consistently present a well-spoken, healthy and attractive image.

Our Top Waterski and Wakeboard athletes come from many countries, including the following:Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Republic of South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and USA.

SHORTBOARD

This is the Waterskier’s version of Artistic Gymnastics – except that the complex and thrilling maneuvers are carried out on the water behind the official tow boat. Each competitor has two passes of 20 seconds. Each trick has a designated points score. Some will execute close to 20 different actions in those 20 seconds. The skier performs either by holding the handle – a “Hand Pass” – or by inserting the foot into a special har-ness and then carrying out each movement – a “Toe Pass”. The highest points score dictates the winner.

WAKEBOARD

This element of the World Cup is a spectacular mixture of Snowboarding, Skating, Surfing and even Skateboarding. It all takes place either behind a special purpose designed boat or on an electric powered cable system. Where the boat is used, it actually has onboard ballast tanks to increase its weight to produce a bigger wake. The wake beco-mes a launching pad for acrobatic movements which are performed on a single board, the Wakeboard, with its two high wrap bindings. When an environmentally friendly cable system is used, large floating obstacles provide the launching pads. The Rider is allowed one fall during the two passes and the Judges give points for three different and distinct elements – execution, intensity and composition. What this simply means is technical difficulty, how big each trick is and what variety is delivered. The Rider who produces the highest score wins.

WHY GET INVOLVED

WAKEBOARD

A CLEAN IMAGEWaterskiing & Wakeboarding project a clean untarnished image and have steered away from the negative issues of doping, gambling, etc.

RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENTSpecially engineered competition boats with totally sealed engines reduce water and noise pollution and fully respect the natural surround-ings and health of those involved. Cable systems also offer an electric powered option which is both environmentally friendly and low cost.

REFRESHING & FUNWaterski & Wakeboarding are traditionally associated with holidays, sun, leisure, prosperity, high technology and tourism.

HEALTHY & FIT ATHLETESCompetitors – both male and female - are young, healthy and extremely fit. Outdoor life and time in the sun keeps everyone smiling!

POPULAR & TRADITIONALThe best of both worlds, Waterskiing has long-standing integrity plus a distinguished history while Wakeboarding is new and hip.

THE IDEAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

SOME WORLD CUP VENUES

Waterski and Wakeboard are both very demanding sports combining beauty, athleticism, precision, power, emotion and fun. The World Cup offers an excellent opportunity to sponsors looking for a clean and un-tarnished sport, a sport which appeals to a valuable demographic and which already has an established global audience.The marketing opportunities are enormous. Full sponsor packages are available and can be custom designed as required. On-site branding, extensive nati-onal and international TV and Media coverage, high profile local community involvement and a unique sporting spectacle are all part of the programme.

Putrajaya, Malaysia

Singapore – Marina Bay Enniskillen Castle, Northern Ireland Tokyo – Odaiba Bay

Linyi, China

EXTENSIVE MEDIA & TV COVERAGEIn developing the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series, a great deal of experience has been gained in maximizing the media coverage of each Stop. The targeted distribution of both text and photos has broadened the awareness of our sport as never before. Our photo library contains over 20,000 pictures. The Media Programme in place incorporates five strands covering the following:

PRESS MEDIA RELEASES >12,500contactsInadditiontolocalpresscoverageforeachStop3or4pressreleasesarecirculatedbyourmediaservicetocontactsin192countries

TV NEWS DISTRIBUTION>over300millioncontactsImmediatelyaftereachstopaNewsfeedx2minutes30secondsisdistributedtomorethan1,500TVstationsaroundtheworld.

TV MAGAZINE STAND ALONE SHOWS >over200millioncontactsForeachStopa26minutesTVshowisprodu-

cedanddistributedworldwidewithselectedbroadcasters.

HOST BROADCASTERSEachStopiscoveredbyalocalTVHostBroad-castertomaximizevisibilityinthehostcountry.

BROADBANDTheWorldCupWebcastteamoffercoveragewhichincludesabrandedvirtualstudiowithadvertisingandpromotionoptionsonsite.

YouTubeThespecialWorldCupYouTubeChannel

deliverseditedclipsofthehighlightsofeachStopat:http://www.youtube.com/user/IWSF-worldcup

FACEBOOKTheWorldCupFacebookpageprovidesongo-ingupdatesonallWorldCupeventsthroug-houttheyear.

WORLD CUP WEBSITETheWorldCupWebsiteprovidesanongoingcommentaryofallWorldCupStopstogetherwithVideoclipsofthehighlightsat:www.WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

STARS OF FLORIDA

A THRILL SEEKERS GUIDE!IS FORMULA 1 JUST TOO SLOW FOR SPECTATORS?World Jump Champion and seven-time World Jump Record holder, Freddy Krueger USA, is an extreme athlete. He weighs about the same as Formula 1’s legendary driver Michael Schumacher. Both started their careers before the age of 6. Both are the same height. However, there is the vital difference! At full throttle off the grid, Schumacher and fellow F1 drivers will go from zero to 100kph/60mph in a staggering 2.7 seconds. When Freddy Krueger makes his final cut to the Jump Ramp, he accelerates from zero to 100kph/60mph in an awesome 1.8 seconds! Now, that’s worth seeing!

FIGHTER PILOTS G FORCES v WATERSKI JUMPERSWe often hear that on occasions F1 drivers and air force pilots can pick up 3G’s or more from extreme lateral forces. They wear special equipment to counteract this and also to avoid fatal blackouts. When our top Waterski jumpers hit the base of the jump ramp, they pick up 10G’s for 75 thousandths of a second. Milliseconds later, they pick up a further 2.2G’s when launching off the top of the Ramp.

WEIGHTLIFTERS v SLALOM SKIERSIn the sport of Weightlifting, the Men’s World Record in the heaviest category for the Snatch discipline is held by Iran’s Behdad Sali-mi at 214kg/472 lbs. When our slalom skiers carve their way around each of the six buoys in the slalom course, reaching speeds of 100kph/60mph in doing so, they pick up over 273kgs/600lbs of pressure. Take a look at the physical shape of the Waterski World Cup contestants and you will see some exceptional athletes!

CAN YOU SUMMERSAULT ON A TRAMPOLINE?If the answer is YES, well done - it is not easy. Can you do it without the Trampoline? That’s a great footballers celebration trick and is very difficult. Just imagine what it must be like to go a step further and do this on water and at speed - and then to throw in a double twist or even a forward summersault! Now that’s Shortboard and Wakeboard at their best.

REACHING A VALUABLE AUDIENCEWater Ski and Wakeboard market demographics vary by region around the world. Here are some useful statistics on participants in the USA.

AGE• 33 – average age• 36% females• 64% males• 63% married• 70% of men are in the 25-45 age category• 55% of women are in the 25-45 age category

INCOME• 68% have an income of $65,000 or more• 52% have an income of $90,000 or more

PURCHASES• 50% spend more than $500 on hotel accommodation per weekend when traveling

• 61% rate quality as the vital factor for purchases• 96% own two or more vehicles per household• 60% use a sport utility vehicle (SUV) for towing• 49% spend more than $750 on equipment per annum• 92% own a powerboat

PARTICIPATION• 43% travel more than 100 miles/166 km to take part in the sport• 47% go wakeboarding• 42% of the households involved contain 3+ participants• 85% taught another to ski• 32% attended a ski/wakeboard school in the past 12 months• 30% have practiced the sport over 100 times in the past 12 months.

CABLEPARK - FOR WATERSKI AND WAKEBOARD- QUIET, ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY AND EMISSION FREE- LOW COST AND EASY MAINTENANCE- LONG LASTING LEGACY FOR EVERY CITY- SPECTATORS ARE CLOSE TO THE ACTION

TAKING THE NEXT STEPThe International Waterski Federation has a designated international team which has full responsibility for the management of the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series. Detailed information is available for Host Cities, Sponsors and the Media.

The annual World Cup Calendar is finalized in November each year. To become part of this success story as a Host, Sponsor or Media colleague please see back cover for contact details.

THE WORLD CUP MANAGEMENT TEAMKuno Ritschard (Switzerland)IWWF President - Contracts - Venues - Finances - Organiser Mediation

Bob Corson (USA)Skiers Liaison - Rank & Selection - Technical - Photography

Des Burke-Kennedy (Ireland)Media & Marketing - Press Releases - TV Direction/Voice Overs - Photography, Commentaries- Web Master

Neil Harris (Australia)Boat Riders Liaison - Rank & Selection – Technical

Lucien Gerkau (Germany)Cable Riders Liaison - Rank & Selection – Technical

Will Furze (Great Britain)International Marketing MasterCraft – Official World Cup boat supply & full technical support

Jeff Chue (Switzerland)Legal Advisor - Contracts

INTERNATIONAL WATERSKI & WAKEBOARD FEDERATIONPostbox 564, 6314 Unteraegeri/Switzerland

Phone: +41 41 752 00 95 Fax: +41 41 752 00 99e-mail: worldcup@iwsf.com

www.WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

DubnaWatersportStadiumPhoto:AndreyIllarionov

Productionanddesign: Daniel Deak Bardos, dbb-photography.com (Germany)Photos: Des Burke-Kennedy (Ireland), Bob Corson (USA), Chris West (England), Hanifah Yoong (Malaysia), Daniel Deak Bardos (Germany), Rixen Cableways