Yesterday, during the first day of meetings of the IOC Executive Board , the Athens 2004 organising Committee were invited to present a report of the situation of the Games and the occasion was used by the high Greek officials including Lambis Nikolau, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and Mrs Elizabeth Papazoi, Minister of Culture and Sport to present our sport officially to the IOC Executive Board and to request the inclusion in the 2004 Olympic Program.

There was also a strong posture to speed up the final decision because there are only four years to go to the start of the Games.

President Samaranch answered that the sport will be reviewed accordingly to the Olympic interests and hopefully the decision would be taken at the next IOC Board meeting in Lausanne on April 18-19.

For water skiing was a great step forward - For the first time a high ranking government official supports our sport frankly and openly and second it is the first time that the IOC executive Board has been targeted with the water ski issue.

We are now finally in the heads and minds of the people who take the decisions, we have been well received and we sure hope that in April our situation is finally clarified.

Andres Botero, IWSF President
Tognala Graziano, IWSF Secretary General