TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Joint efforts from the Hualien County Government, the Chinese Taipei Dragon Boat Association, and the Sports Administration have secured the rights to host the 2026 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships and the Club Crew World Championships.
The two events both involve dragon boats, but the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships features national teams comprised of the best athletes or all-star competitors in a given country, whilst the "club crew" competition is limited to regional teams.
The announcement of the winning bid was made on Monday (August 14) in Pattaya, Thailand, which was the host of this year’s competition. Taiwan was able to sway 19 votes out of 24 voting members representing different countries to win the bid, per CTS.
Upon learning of the news, the Hualien County Government released a message saying that this success belongs to all Taiwanese, as it will be the first time the event has come to the country.
The World Dragon Boat Racing Championships and Club Crew Championships are tentatively scheduled to be held in early September 2026 on Liyu Lake in Hualien County. Approximately 30 countries and 8,000 people are expected to participate.
The event is sanctioned by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), which was founded on June 24, 1991, in Hong Kong and is comprised of member countries throughout Asia and Europe. It is also sanctioned by the International Sports Federation (IF) to specifically govern dragon boat racing worldwide.
Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) said that hosting such international competitions allows athletes from all over the world to experience the rich cultural heritage and beauty of Hualien together. She also hoped that local competitors would be encouraged to work hard and become more dedicated to their training for the opportunity to earn glory for Taiwan.