The 2011 Water Ski World Cup kicked off on the Yihe River in Linyi, Shandong Province, on Sept. 23.

The 2011 Water Ski World Cup kicked off on the Yihe River in Linyi, Shandong Province, on Sept. 23. [China.org.cn]

President of the International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation Kuno Ritschard, Vice President of the China National Olympic Committee Wang Jun, and Deputy Provincial Governor Huang Sheng attended the opening ceremony.

Ritschard said Linyi's beautiful aquatic resources made it an ideal place for water sports.

President of the International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation Kuno Ritschard [linyi.com]

Jun said Linyi aims to build itself into a "water sports city." The city also "successfully hosted" the 2011 China-Australia-US Ski Challenge, and the A-level world cup event "will inject fresh energy to Linyi."

The 2011 Water Ski World Cup, an A-level event organized by the International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation, features the world's top 20 skiers from 15 countries and regions in Europe, North America and Asia.