DWS 2015: DIVING STARS BACK IN ACTION IN DUBAI

Dubai (UAE) will welcome the global diving elite for the second stop of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series at the superb Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sport Complex from March 19-21, 2015. Dubai has been a regular host of the Series since 2012.

Last week in Beijing, China walked away with 13 medals, 10 of them gold, making a strong statement at this start of the season. With five more meets spanning until May and the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan (RUS) in July, the world’s medal hopefuls and rising talents will have the opportunity to assess their closest rivals ahead of the big meet.

In Dubai, a total 66 (37 men and 29 women) divers will compete in 10 events. Among those to watch in Dubai are current World champions He Chong and Qiu Bo (CHN), Olympic champions Ilya Zakharov (RUS) and David Boudia (USA), and Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Daley (GBR). Top qualifiers among women include Olympic champions Wu Minxia and Chen Ruolin (CHN), Olympic medallists Paola Espinosa (MEX) and Pandelela Rinong (MAS), and World medallists Pamela Ware (CAN) and Yulia Prokopchuk (UKR).

The men’s and womens’ 3m and 10m synchro take place on day 1 (Thursday March 19) and are held as direct finals. Springboard events, including the new mixed 3m synchro, are scheduled on day 2 (Friday March 20) and platform events, also featuring a mixed 10m synchro, on day 3 (Saturday March 21).

All finals will be streamed live and free of charge on FINAtv and on iPhone/iPad (LIVE+ application @appstore)

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DIVING ELITE TO SHINE AGAIN AT LONDON AQUATICS CENTRE

The London Aquatics Centre will host the third leg of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series 2014. Divers from the strongest nations in the sport will be in action in a total eight events: men’s and women’s 3m springboard and 10m platform, individual and synchro.

Among men, those to watch in London include British star and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley (10m platform), current Olympic champion David Boudia (USA, 10m platform) and World champion He Chong (CHN, 3m springboard), 2013 World bronze medallist Sascha Klein (GER, 10m platform), 2013 Series overall winner Yahel Castillo (MEX, 3m springboard) and 2013 Series overall winner Victor Minibaev (RUS, 10m platform).

The women’s events feature a tough competitive field with China’s biggest assets Minxia Wu and Zi He in the 3m springboard, Ruolin Chen and Yajie Si in the 10m platform, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist and 2013 Series runner-up Laura Sanchez (MEX, 3m springboard), 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong Pamg (MAS) and 2013 World bronze medallist Pamela Ware (CAN, 3m springboard).

At each meet, US$96,000 of prize money is reserved for the three best divers of all eight individual and synchro events. An overall prize money of US$87,000 will be divided between the top-six divers in each event, totalling US$696,000.