BY KPBS

Tijuana will host the Diving World Series starting Friday. The two day event is a prelude to this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has more.

Hosting the event is a first for Tijuana. Previously, it's been held in Mexico City. Saul Castro who directs Baja California's Sports Institute says two years ago, his agency sought to bring the diving competition to the border city in anticipation of the completion of the new, state-of-the-art aquatics center.

Castro says it's the most sophisticated aquatics facility in the country. The competition comes at a time when drug trafficking and crime have dominated the headlines. Castro says this even will be good for Tijuana's image.

Castro says it's important to show the rest of the country and the world that there are productive people in Tijuana and Baja California. He says the majority get up every day and go to work. 70 of the world's top divers from 10 countries will compete in the event, including teams from the U.S., Mexico and China.

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