As the world awaited the infamous torch to officially begin the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the waterskiing world anxiously awaited a milestone of its own. Did waterskiing become an Olympic sport and be represented in the Athens Greece 2004 Olympics? After years of hard work to get the sport into the games, waterskiing was not invited to be a part of the Olympics.
THE ARGUEMENTS
All the questions were asked, and harsh statements were made by the toughest
waterski critics. The arguments:
About the Athletes
Argument: "Is there really any skill involved in pushing a ski around a buoy course? Water-skiers aren't true athletes. They don't train like real athletes do. It's just a recreational sport."
Reply: Competition waterskiing does indeed require a conditioned athletic body resulting in countless hours of training, along with a strong mental focus. Any professional water-skier will tell you they are mentally challenged by running a slalom course, striving to run it at shorter and shorter rope lengths.
Post your opinion on the forum.
About the Tow Boats
Argument: "How can you allow a sport into the Olympics that relies on a motorized vehicle? What kind of consistency and speed control can there be in a boat pulling one skier to the next?"
Reply: Speed control devices, such as Perfect Pass, installed on boats reduces the human element and delivers the same consistent speed and pull to all competitors.
Post your opinion on the forum.
About the Arena
Argument: "If you let water-skiing in, you'll have to give it special treatment and build a lake suitable for slalom conditions. That, or either future Olympic locations will be limited to areas with pre-existing lakes."
Reply: Olympic venues already require lakes for rowing, they could use the same body of water. The winter Olympics are already limited to geographic locations in which there are mountains for snow skiing. What would be the difference?
Post your opinion on the forum.
THE EFFORT TO GAIN OLYMPIC STATUS
The following is an explanation of what the sport of waterskiing has gone through in its attempt to gain Olympic status, from Graziano Tognala, International Water Ski Federation Secretary General. It's quite a drawn-out process
Graziano Tognala
A sport wanting to become an Olympic sport should at least be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for several years, and it also must reach certain standards of activity, competition and membership around the world, and then pass through a provisional status for about two years.
It is up to the Organizer of an Olympic Games to propose the IOC to insert
one or more new sports into the program. In our case, the Organizing Committee
for the Olympic Games - Athens 2004 (ATHOC) has officially proposed to
the IOC to insert waterskiing. ATHOC chose waterski out of two sports
(waterskiing and fin swimming) proposed to them by the Hellenic Olympic
Committee (HOC). The HOC made their decision in September, 1998. ATHOC
sent their official proposal to the IOC in June 1999, delay due to the
internal scandals in the IOC.
From here on two further steps have to be taken: the Coordination Committee of the IOC for the Olympic Games in Athens and the IOC EB must approve the proposal of the ATHOC. Their decision then will be ratified by the IOC plenary session before coming effective. This is expected to happen between the September Sydney Olympics and December of 2000.
Of course, all this does not come by itself. Since its creation in 1947,
the International Water Ski Federation
(IWSF) has promoted and developed waterskiing throughout the World. We
were even the Olympic demonstration sport in Munchen! Since 1997 we have
dedicated ourselves to the promotion of waterskiing at the Olympic level.
We set up a waterski demonstration in Seville (June 1998) to show waterskiing
to all the presidents of the National Olympic Committees and the IOC members.
Waterski is a very attractive, athletic and spectacular sport, but we
found out that before 1997, it was not known very well. The IWSF produced
brochures, videos and facts and figure booklets to educate people what
waterski is all about. Our president and secretary general attended all
the important IOC meetings to make sure that there are no excuses to forget
about waterski.
However, promotion alone is not enough, the entire waterskiing family
(over 89 federations and more than 50,000,000 skiers around the world)
has made petitions and written support letters to convince the IOC that
we really should become Olympic. It is important that the IOC sees that
waterski is a popular sport all over the world. In fact, we are still
collecting signatures.
Secretary General
International Water Ski Federation
More Olympic Links:
• Post
Your Opinion on the Forum
- What are your thoughts?
• Around the Rings
The only independently published newsletter in the Americas with a focus on the Olympic movement
_____________________________
Forever In Your Wake,
- Julie Bostian
- Waterskiing / Wakeboarding Guide
- Waterskiing / Wakeboarding Guide