The 29th Japan Open Water Ski
Tournament
A World Games 2001 Akita
Pre-Event
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IWSF Secretary General Graziano Tognala reports from the 29th Japan Open Water Ski Tournament competition, featuring Slalom, Figures and Jumping. The event took place in Akita, Japan from 7 to 9 July and was an official pre-event for the World Games organised in Japan in 2001. A typhoon passed over the area of Akita
during these days, but did not keep the competition from taking place regularly.
Athletes from Australia, New Zealand and Korea participated. Three days of competition gave us ample
time to appreciate the infrastructure and the water site as venue for the next
World Games in 2001.The venue, Ogata Mura, is a channel of
80 meters wide, extremely calm and well protected, immersed in the green fields
of the farmers in an enormous polder won from the see years ago, at 45 km from
Akita. In the same area, on a rugby field nearby, the parachutist competition
(FAI) will take place in the days preceding Waterskiing.
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The accessibility and infrastructures on
land have been improved and potentated.
The top of the Akita Organising
Committee (AOC) was present at the competition, and the representatives of the
Japanese Water Ski Association (JWSA) and the IWSF Secretary General could show
several efforts carried out to bring the site at the best possible efficiency
from the next Games in Akita.
The Opening Ceremony took place in the
Main Conference Room of the Ogata Hotel at a five minutes walk
from the site. The local authorities, who contributed greatly
to the realisation of the Water Ski centre that did not exist until one
year ago, the Mayor of Ogata, the Prefect of Akita, and a large delegation
of the AOC under direction of the AOC General Director Yukio Yasuda
were all received by the President of the JWSA Masayuki
Suzuki.
From the 20th to the 26th of August
2001, 90 Water Skiers will compete here, under the control
of 20 judges, in 3 different disciplines: Tournament, Barefoot and
Wakeboard.
Tournament will be present with 45
athletes, 15 women and 30 men, competing in the specialities of
Slalom, Jump and Figures. Medals will be awarded to the best overall athletes,
that is who achieves the best results adding all three specialities, and
therefore real complete athletes.
Barefoot consists in the same
specialities as tournament, with medals for the best overall athletes, but the
peculiarity is that barefoot athletes do not use ski but their "bare feet".
20 athletes, divided in 7 women and 13 men will participate in
barefoot.
Wakeboard is our newest discipline,
present for the first time at the World Games with 25 athletes ( 9 women
and 16 men), who will compete in freeride.
All athletes will be selected on
the base of the World Ranking Lists, in order to assure a world-wide and
top level competition.
See you in Akita next
year!
Graziano Tognala
Secretary General
International Water Ski Federation
Secretary General
International Water Ski Federation
Left to right: President Suzuki (JWSA),
Technical Delegate Arai (JWSA), Secretary General Tognala (IWSF)
The site of the 29th Japan Open
Tournament and the Akita World Games: Ogata Mura
IWSF Secretary General Tognala with
three young riders (wakeboarders) of the Japanese Water Ski Association:
From left to right: Ms. Mero (12), Mr.
Grim (6), Mr. Dome (14)
For any further information please feel free
to contact the IWSF Headquarters.
IWSF Headquarters
CP 5537 BO22
40134 Bologna Italy
Tel: +39.051.615.29.56
fax: +39.051615.5015
email: g.tognala@bo.nettuno.it
CP 5537 BO22
40134 Bologna Italy
Tel: +39.051.615.29.56
fax: +39.051615.5015
email: g.tognala@bo.nettuno.it
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