In the mountainous county of Zigui, located behind China's Three Gorges Dam, days of celebrations for the traditional Dragon Boat Festival culminated in the opening of the 2023 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Dragon Boat World Cup on Thursday.
This is the second dragon boat World Cup organized by the ICF. Zigui, situated in the central Hubei province of China, is renowned as the birthplace of Qu Yuan, an ancient poet who is associated with the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.
Host nation China is well-represented in the competition, and there are also entries from other strong dragon boat nations and regions such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. Additionally, crews from the USA, Iran, India, Tanzania, and Zambia have joined, highlighting the global appeal of dragon boat racing.
Throughout the three-day competition, a total of 18 gold medals will be awarded. The finals will consist of nine races each for 8-paddler and 10-paddler boats. The competition will feature open, women's, and mixed categories, with races held over distances of 200, 500, and 2,000 meters on the Yangtze River.
The venue for the event is the national dragon boat training base located on Xujiachong Harbor, a mere three kilometers upstream from the Three Gorges Dam, which is the world's largest hydroelectric project. Despite the rain on Thursday morning, thousands of spectators eagerly watched the opening ceremony from the stands.
Budiman Setiawan, the ICF continental representative for Asia, expressed his enthusiasm for the water sports venue.
"This is a perfect venue for water sports, especially for dragon boating. We have nice facilities, hospitality, beautiful weather and good friends here together. All of us are longing to witness the exciting moments during the races," he said.
Zhu Haibo, coach of a local dragon boat team, also shared his love for the sport, which has a rich tradition and a large fanbase in Zigui. He developed an affinity for dragon boating because both his father and grandfather were paddlers.
"I was glad to see the ancient sport has become a modern international one and people from around the globe came here to join us in the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations," he said.