A total of 134 skiers from 32 countries are expected to compete for nine medals across individual and team competitions throughout this week, with the finals on Saturday (August 17) and Sunday (August 18).

The preliminaries in the women's slalom and jump disciplines, as well as the men's tricks competition, were held today.

Preliminaries will be held up until Friday (August 16), after which the top 12 water skiers in each category progress to the finals this weekend.

This was followed by the Opening Ceremony, held by the waterside at the Watersports Complex, where the Championships will take place.

The hosts have been boosted by the return from injury of their main medal hope, 16-year-old Aaliyah Yoong.

Yoong suffered a burst eardrum two weeks ago after a heavy fall during training with national coach.

Her father Hanifah Yoong admitted she had been touch-and-go to participate.

"We had a mini-crisis two weeks ago where Aaliyah landed awkwardly in training and water slammed into her ear," he told the New Straits Times.

“We brought her to see a specialist and we were then told that there was a large tear in her left eardrum.

“This was very worrying because such an injury can cause her to lose balance.

“Aaliyah, however, was really determined and did not want to miss training, so we did not operate.

"She instead used a silicone earplug and did not miss a day of training."

The event continues tomorrow.