The first Stop of the 2008 Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series kicks off at Noon on this coming Friday, July 25th.

HSBC, recently nominated the Global Bank of the Year 2004 by The Banker, has come on board as the title sponsor of the Wakeboard World Cup 2004 Singapore Stop.

Sunny Seville in southern Spain witnessed the biggest ever World Wakeboard Championships organized by the World Wakeboard Council of the International Waterski Federation this weekend.

Following successful Stops of the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup in France, Russia, and Great Britain, it was now time for China's first Stop in Changshu – a short drive from last weekend's Shanghai Formula 1 Grand Prix site.

For the very first time, the Shanghai area will host both the Waterski World Cup and the Chinese Grand Prix. The new Waterski Arena at Changshu is now ready for it’s first Waterski World Cup Stop. Changshu is widely known as The Future City – and with good reason. A totally new Shanghai Grand Prix Circuit, designed by Herman Tilke, is also ready for the first Formula 1 race ever held in China.

Following the success of the 2004 Waterski World Cup Stops in France and Russia, the London Stop was for Slalom devotees. Being also the very last appearance of one of the sport’s greatest athletes, many expected a tear-jerker of the very best kind. In glorious sunshine and with the full support of sponsors Sunsail and MasterCraft, Thorpe Lakes, located beside Heathrow Airport, offered the perfect stage for this Stop and the season’s $650,000 total cash prize.

Put 56 Journalists, 10 TV Companies, 54,000 spectators and the best World’s best Waterskiers together and the result is a guaranteed masterpiece.

Thirty thousand spectators are expected to travel from Moscow, Tver, Dmitrov and Klin to the beautiful city of Dubna on July 24th / 25th. The attraction is the next Stop of the Waterski World Cup.