New venue for 2024 35+ Worlds?

[jcamp]

The 2024 35+ Worlds is being pulled from Greece and relocated to an as yet announced location. Anyone have any leads on where it will be? 

[TrickyTom]

Facebook rumours say Sesena, Spain.

[Horton]

The IWWF regrets to announce that the 2024 IWWF World Over 35 Waterski Championships will be relocated from Stratos Lake, Agrinio, Greece to a venue in another country.

“We have learnt over the years, in particular from the 2022 edition held in France, that the IWWF World Over 35 Waterski Championships attracts many skiers and we need to hold these events where an event venue can accommodate big numbers. The host Federation has unfortunately not been able to prepare its venue for large participation numbers, by a specific deadline, and it was decided during an IWWF Executive Board meeting held recently in Clermont, Florida that the hosting rights would be withdrawn and assigned to another organization, that will be announced shortly.  This does not however rule out Greece hosting future event but a decision had to be made for the sake of the skiers.”  said IWWF President, José Antonio Pérez Priego.  

 

[Rook]

If not in Sesena, Spain, any chance Sunset Lakes would host the 2024 +35 Worlds?

[lpskier]

I hear that Greece is not giving up and could get the event back, despite the IWWF moving it to Spain. 

[Drago]

Seems like extending the deadline to get the site up to snuff is better than moving it lock, stock, and barrel, 3 seas away, ? Unless the Greece site is completely ignoring iwwf, or they need to add a lake.

[jcamp]

I still blame Greek mismanagement for water skiing not being in the Olympics. If you'll recall, Athens picked water skiing for the 2004 games. At the time, hosts got to pick one or two spots to add to the program. In any other situation this would heave been a lock for water skiing, but Athens fell way behind on preparations, to the point that the IOC considered taking the games back to Sydney, the 2000 hosts. Instead, the IOC said "you've got enough on your hands" and didn't honor Athens' request to add water skiing.

As much as the Olympic effort is crapped on on this forum, ad nauseum and I think unfairly, it actually worked. If the sport would have been picked by any other host we'd probably still be in the Olympics today. It's a shame Atlanta didn't pick water skiing as Georgia native Regina Jaquess would probably have a few golds right now if they had.  

[Stathis Ventouris]

@jcamp Greeks have organized stellar Olympics in 2004 despite some initial delays and this is recognized by everyone.  The reason why unfortunately our sport has not become an Olympic sport has nothing to do with venue delays  for the 2004  Olympics and I can assure you that the then Chairman of the HWWF had spent considerable money and effort towards achieving this.  

The basic two reasons that water skiing was not included were the following:

a) There are no Olympic sports in which you have an interference/participation  of  a machine (ski boat)

b) Back in 2004 nor Zero off or Sure Path  existed thus it was impossible to ensure exactly the same driving for all the participants, therefore the driver could play a key role in the outcome. 

[BKistler]

@Stathis Ventouris has it right. I was there from the beginning and that was always the reasoning that I heard. 

[ETskier]

So, why then are we still governed by something in which we will never be allowed  to participate?

[BKistler]

Although AWSA was not yet a member of USOC by the time I left, there were financial and public relations benefits. I presume that is still the case. 

[MrSurePath]

I worked on the Sydney Olympics as part of the broadcasting effort and so made some contacts within the IOC hierarchy. I heard that one of the main reasons for non inclusion of water skiing was that the IOC made a policy decision at the time to actually reduce the number pf sports overall. That meant the only demonstration sport at Athens was wheelchair racing and this was done as a joint Olympic/Paralympic event, with the view to opening up the event to able bodied athletes in the future.

I gather that the involvement of a boat and driver had very little to do with anything even though it was given as a convenient excuse for dropping water skiing. One thing I learned during that period was that it is mostly "politics" that drives policy and also that there is still serious amounts of corruption going on in the tiers below the main IOC Committee.

[BKistler]

The odd thing, of course, is that water skiing had already had its turn as a demonstration sport at Kiel, Germany. 

[Horton]

5 hours ago, Jtim3032 said:

One thing I learned during that period was that it is mostly "politics" that drives policy and also that there is still serious amounts of corruption going on in the tiers below the main IOC Committee.

 

[Horton]

in terms of the whole Olympic dream

 

[Horton]

i assume everyone has already seen this 

https://ballofspray.com/forums/topic/46287-the-rise-and-fall-of-water-skiing/#comment-442963