Diving: Cup parade of Sydney contenders

Up to 95 per cent of the fields for the Sydney 2000 Olympics diving competition will be on show in Wellington this week.

Injuries meant only a couple of leading performers were missing from the diving World Cup, said world swimming body Fina's diving committee chairman, Tom Gompf.

Twenty-three nations are taking part, something he calls satisfactory considering the economic problems some areas.

This is the first diving World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere. The main absentee is Russian Olympic champion Dimitri Sautin. Russia have two world and Olympic champions, China have world champion Zu Zhuocheng and Olympic medallist Sun Shuwei.

Team leader Dave Burgering said the United States team members were the best available.

The best of the Americans are likely to be 1996 Atlanta Olympics finalist Jenny Keim and male divers Mark Ruiz and David Pichler.

New Zealand have four divers involved - Kate Stevely, Cara Thompson, Wayne Cobb and Charlotte Glynan.