Abu Dhabi is hosting the first round of the Open Asian Water Skiing Championship from February 16 to 18, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club. Nearly 120 competitors from 20 countries are participating. Water skiing competitions are a modern sport included in the club's agenda and will see significant participation from prominent competitors from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Thailand, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Russia, Belarus, Greece, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, America, Hungary, Ukraine, Switzerland, Malaysia, and the Netherlands.
The number of registered participants has already exceeded 100, with expectations to reach 120 by the end of the registration period, marking a significant turnout since the club hosted the World Water Ski Championship in 2019. According to the competition's schedule, events will kick off on February 16 with training and free practice for competitors, followed by preliminary and final qualifiers on February 17 and 18 for 14 categories competing in the championship, culminating in the awarding of winners in the closing ceremony.
Water skiing competitions are performance-based, where competitors execute a specific number of tricks on the ski board, under the oversight of a judging panel that scores and determines the winners in each category. Nasser Al Dhaheri, Head of Modern Racing at the club, stated that "water skiing competitions are significant sports within the club's agenda, and holding the championship amid high participant interest reflects the UAE’s strong international reputation for hosting championships."
He added, "The presence of global champions has a significant impact on our local champions and provides them an opportunity to interact with different water skiing schools, contributing to the development of their skills." He emphasized that it is a sport that relies on fitness and the ability to perform thrilling tricks on wooden boards, while also requiring competitors to control their skiing at varying speeds depending on the type of boat towing the skiers over the water.
