Nearly 1,200 athletes from 47 teams competed in the 2026 Nanchang International Dragon Boat Race on June 14, held on Jiulong Lake in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, as the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The event introduced a new international club division this year, featuring 12-person crews racing over an 800-meter straight course. Teams from Germany, Italy, the United States, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia participated alongside Chinese crews, marking one of the more internationally diverse editions of the race.
Andreas Willms, leader of the German Drachenreiter team who has been competing in dragon boat racing since 2004, told Xinhua that the sport demands precise coordination across all crew members. "Everyone on a dragon boat has to pull their oars in perfect unison," he said. "This sport relies entirely on teamwork."
Salvatore Landolina, coach of the Italian Stallion team who took up the sport nine years ago, said the collective nature of dragon boat racing sets it apart from other water sports. "On a dragon boat, words are often unnecessary. We act as one, driven by shared goals and the true spirit of sportsmanship," he told Xinhua.
Participants from abroad also took part in other Dragon Boat Festival traditions during their stay, including making zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), picking wormwood, and crafting sachets. Lim Che Chien, who led a team from Malaysia's Kuching, described the Nanchang race as a festival for everyone involved. His team members made and tasted zongzi during the trip and experienced a range of festival customs.
Emil Shagiev, leading the U.S. RunDe team, traveled to Nanchang from Guangzhou. His team members, he told Xinhua, include businessmen, teachers, engineers, and retirees. "But on the racecourse, we are united by pure sportsmanship and friendship," he said.
Xinhua reported that dragon boat racing has been practiced in Germany for nearly four decades, and that the sport's competitions there have evolved into broader cultural gatherings. German dragon boat events are now regarded as a link connecting participants from both countries.
The Dragon Boat Festival, traditionally observed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan. Dragon boat racing has since grown from a local tradition into an internationally practiced sport, with competitive events held across Asia, Europe, and North America. The International Dragon Boat Federation oversees the sport globally, with member associations in more than 80 countries.
After the races concluded, participating teams gathered for group photos, with competitors from different nations exchanging contact information — a scene that underscored the event's function as a meeting point for athletes across borders.
Source: Xinhua
