RP to host ’08 world wakeboard tourney

The fast-growing sport of wakeboarding, an exciting combination of water skiing, surfing and a little skateboarding, is slowly but surely putting the Philippines in the world map.

The sport, practically open to everybody, is gaining recognition in the country through the Philippine Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation headed by Camarines Sur Gov. Elray Villafuerte.

The sport is being promoted at the Camarines Sur Water Sports Complex, a vast property with a 4.5-hectare lake where wakeboards are no longer towed by boats but through an overhead cable system from Germany.

The wakeboarding federation, formed only last February, now has a membership of around 400, and is accredited by the World Wakeboard Council based in Germany.

It has also locked arms with the International Water Ski Federation in Switzerland, and, according to the young governor, is close to securing membership with the Philippine Olympic Committee.

"It’s just a matter of processing before we officially become a POC member. We have great plans for this sport, for our province and the country’s tourism program as well," said Villafuerte who graced yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Pantalan Restaurant.

To prove his point, Villafuerte announced that his federation recently won the right to host the 2008 World Wakeboard Championship, which is expected to lure around 300 foreign entries and thousands of tourists

"We hosted an international competition last May and with its tremendous success we were fortunate enough to win the bidding for the 2008 hosting of the world championship," said the governor.

Entries from Germany, United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to compete in the 2008 event. The bidding took place in Australia last month.

"There were very good testimonials from the foreigners who were here last May. There are 200 cabled wakeboard lakes in the world but they said ours is one of the best they’ve seen.

"In other countries, wakeboarding is popular only over a certain period of the year or until the weather gets colder. Here in the Philippines, we can run the sport all year," Villafuerte explained.

Participants in the different divisions for men, women, boys and girls are judged by the degree of difficulty of their moves, execution of different air tricks, style of riding and composure.