The latest update provided by the sport’s governing body, Ski Racing Australia, indicates racing is scheduled to return around September or October in many states.
A Queensland event on Lake Coolmunda on September 26 and 27 is expected to be the first official racing event in more than two years.
Closer to home, Ski Racing Victoria will be running its first event in October at Lake Charm near Kerang.
Events approved so far are all lake-based, with more work to be done to get river racing, required for the Moama Water Sports Club’s Southern 80 and Beehag 100 events, back on the water.
“Once we get (lake racing) under way, then we can start moving towards rivers, but that'll be a little bit down the track,” Moama Water Sports Club president Steve Shipp said.
The club’s Beehag 100 event, usually held in November, will not go ahead for another year, with the club expecting it will be at least 2027 before river racing can resume.
Transport NSW’s Special Purpose Investigation into the sport, handed down in January, recommended the government body “prohibit all water ski racing on river courses.”
The report cited that 12 of 13 ski racing fatalities in NSW since 2004 occurred on river courses.
However, those within the sport remain confident river racing is on the cards for next year.
“It's more about us as a sport looking at it all and going, 'well, what do we need to do for safety?',” Shipp said.
“We've got to change what we do so it's safer for the participants out there, and one of the main things coming in is progression through the sport.
“That'll make it so that if people come into the sport, they don't come in with a chequebook and race at 100 miles an hour.
“They can come in, but they're going to start at 70 miles an hour, and they're going to do their time at the slower speeds and learn how to race and learn how to look after the skiers before they get to go fast.
“It's up to us to be able to prove that we can race safely on rivers, and if we can do that, then we'll get an aquatic license.”
Shipp recently joined the SRA board, helping to get racing back on track around Australia, while also providing a local perspective and bringing the most up-to-date information back to the Moama club.
Ski racing has been on hiatus since June 2024, when several deaths within the sport during the first half of the year, including one at the 2024 Southern 80, prompted a halt to all racing.
Should a return to river racing be resolved, the Southern 80 is scheduled to be held in March.
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