25th October 2018

Julia Rick (GER)

The 49th IWWF World Cup stop was held at the Bi Hai Jin Sha Water Park in Shanghai, China this past week.   In an effort to encourage participation in competitive events amongst women and recognizing their efforts, dedication and skills, the IWWF decided to award the female cable riders and skiers on the podium (top 3) with the same prize money as the men.

“IWWF is making history with this decision about equal prize money for female and male riders!  I think you can definitely call it a milestone in the history of wakeboarding and it is a big step in the right direction.” said Julia Rick winner of the women’s cable wakeboard event.

Irina Turets (BLR)

Irina Turets (BLR), winner of the women’s cableski jump event said: “we used to live in a ‘man’s’ world but we are not training any less than men.  I hope this brings in new skiers and our sport to the next level.”

Creating a gender equal policy had been discussed at length during the  IWWF Executive Board Meeting held last month in Dnipro, Ukraine.

photos by David Crowder

About the IWWF:  The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) is the world governing body for towed watersports and has 91 affiliated Federations worldwide. It was founded in 1946 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole authority for towed watersports. The IWWF is an affiliate member of the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federation (ARISF) and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). The IWWF’s sports disciplines include, amongst others, Tournament Waterskiing (slalom, tricks & jump), Wakeboard, Cable Wakeboard, Cable Waterskiing, Disabled Waterskiing, Show Skiing, Ski Racing, Barefoot Waterskiing & Wakesurfing