David Boudia of the United States, Olympic 10 metres platform champion, will be joined at the event at National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube, by Cao Yuan of China, winner of the gold medal in the 10m synchro platform competition at London 2012.

Double women’s world 10m synchro champion Lui Huixia and compatriot Shi Tingmao, also a two-time world synchro springboard gold medallist, are set to participate on home soil.

Other notable names at the opening competition on the four-leg calendar are Britain’s Jack Laugher, winner of the overall men’s 3m springboard title during last year’s Diving World Series, and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ester Qin of Australia.

She won the women’s 3m synchronised crown at Glasgow 2014.

A total of 67 divers from 12 countries are due to compete in the event.

It will feature 10 events - the men’s 3m and 10m, the women’s 3m and 10m, the synchronised 3m and 10m events for men and women and the mixed 3m and 10m.

The event in Beijing, scheduled to conclude on Sunday (March 13), is the first of four FINA Diving World Series competitions due to be held in 2016.

Following the opener, the Series moves to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from March 17 to 19, before heading to Windsor in Canada on April 15 to 17.

The finale will then scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, host of last year’s FINA World Aquatics Championships.

The overall prize money for the Series stands at $1.3 million (£910,000/€1.2 million).

The Water Cube, a venue used when Beijing hosted the Olympics eight years ago, has staged a FINA Diving World Series event in every year since 2011.