The first leg of the 2020 FINA/CNSG Diving World Series is ready to kick off in Montreal (CAN), where some of the best divers in the world will compete from February 28 to March 1.

Among men, stars to watch include Great Britain’s Jack Laugher and Tom Daley, Mexico’s Rommel Pacheco, Jahir Ocampo and Yahel Castillo, Russia’s Evgeny Kuznetsov, Viktor Minibaev and Aleksandr Bondar, or US David Boudia. Local fans in Montreal will also have the opportunity to support Vincent Riendeau and François Imbeau-Dulac.

In the women’s events, the list of contenders for the top-positions includes Australia’s Esther Qin, Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney, Great Britain’s Grace Reid and Lois Toulson, Malaysia’s Pandelela Pamg, Mexico’s Paola Espinosa and Alejandra Orozco, or Russia’s Iuliia Timoshinina. Defending the Canadian colours, Jennifer Abel, Pamela Ware and Meaghan Benfeito are strong assets.

The notable absence in this first leg is the Chinese team, affected by the worldwide disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

72 divers from the following 12 countries will be attending the initial meet of the 2020 FINA/CNSG Diving World Series: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, Ukraine and United States.

The event will take place in the “Centre Sportif au Parc Olympique”. After its full renovation, it is considered to be one of the premiere diving facilities in the world. Built for the 1976 Summer Games, the venue regularly hosted the FINA Diving Grand Prix from 2007 to 2012 and the FINA Diving World Series since 2018.

The programme of the competition in Montreal will unfold as follows:

Day 1 – February 28
Women’s 10m platform synchro
Men’s 3m springboard synchro
Women’s 3m springboard synchro
Men’s 10m platform synchro

Day 2 – February 29
Women’s 10m platform
Men’s 3m springboard
Mixed 10m platform synchro

Day 3 – March 1
Women’s 3m springboard
Men’s 10m platform
Mixed 3m springboard synchro

2020 FINA/CNSG Diving World Series calendar:
1. Montreal (CAN) – February 28-March 1
2. Kazan (RUS) – March 20-22
3. London (GBR) – March 27-29