Dragon Boat Communities all over the world are revving up their engines as the2011 Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships draws nearer. This edition of the Championships will be hosted byToronto’s National Dragonboat Club, the largest dragon boat club in the world.The Club recently joined CanoeKayak Canadaand the International Canoe Federation (ICF) from the Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). It boasts the largest membership ithas ever had. This much heralded event is set to attract thousands of participants, spectators from 7 countries and five timesthe number of crew clubs. The event will take place from 21-24 July at the new Marilyn Bell Park Watercourse neardowntown Toronto on Lake Ontario.
The regatta event promises to be a competitive one, drawing the very best dragon boaters from all over the World including Canada. Events are held for Senior, Junior and Masters Teams as well as amateur races for clubs, organisations, andcompanies. Races are mainly held in 10 or 20-seater Dragon Boats over distances of 200m, 500m, and 2,000m and there isthe possibility to form mixed teams in which 12 men and 8 women comprise a team. It is worth noting that the ICF was thefirst to officially add the 10-seater Dragon Boats to the Dragon Boat World Championship in 2010.
The 10 - seater boat event is a great addition to the programme and presents the best opportunity for National Federations and clubs to send teams, as it is often difficult to form a team of 20 persons. ICF Secretary General Simon Toulson has said, "The 10- seater has been a great innovation for the ICF. Existing teams have chances to win more medals but significantly smaller nations can fund a team to compete in ICF Dragon Boat competitions. Going forward, 10-seater boats definitely havea future in ICF Dragon Boat events."
Dragon Boat sets itself apart from the other canoeing disciplines and other competitive sports because it is fun and exciting and there is an existing structure in place to enable a recreational paddler to cross over to an elite paddler, no matter the paddler’s skill level or age. The Organising Committee has also introduced some Unique Programmes (Categories) for these Championships which include the now very popular Mixed Racing for Community Teams, Mixed Racing for Corporate Teams, Breast Cancer Survivors, and University & College Teams. In addition, the organizers have organized 10 seater boatraces for athletes with Intellectual Disabilities. Seven teams will be participating in the exhibition race and marks another significant achievement for the ICF’s inclusion strategy. Theses events will unite international teams and are expected to continue to push the boundaries of the Dragon Boat discipline.
Four days of excitement are planned around the venue, and fans and spectators are invited to see the races, vendors, park and entertainment. A Parade of the international and club crew teams and their flags is expected at the Opening Ceremony where ceremonial speeches and the raising of the official event flag will be made, followed by live music and performances.
For more information, contact:info@toronto2011.ca
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
Your complete source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
