Tianjin dragon boat race to open on Mid-Autumn Festival

The 2019 Tianjin dragon boat racing will be staged on the Haihe River on Sept 13, the day of this year’s traditional Mid-Autumn Festival of China.

A total of 480 athletes in 30 dragon boat teams from a record 26 countries and regions, such as Russia, Italy, Poland, Egypt, Singapore, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, will be at the race.

One team is the Tianjin International Charity Team (TICT), organized by Tianjin Dragon Boat Association and Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin.

The team is racing to raise funds for supporting children and their families receiving treatment for cancer at Tianjin University Hospital.

The team, composed of 26 paddlers living in Tianjin from more than 18 countries, has currently raised more than RMB15,000 through race training and events.

Tianjin has a proud tradition of dragon boat racing, with the first race held in 1988 supported by local government.

The city has become the centre of dragon boat sports in northern China, as the race was selected as a national-level event and represents the sporting culture of Tianjin.

It will be an excellent night with a beautiful light show on both sides of the Haihe River and great performances.

The competition project will be set up in the open and have mixed groups of 200 meters and 500 meters.

The sport organizer adheres to the philosophy of inheriting culture and advancing with the times with its distinctive characteristics.

The team and event will bring people together on the magnificent Haihe River to celebrate healthy living, team spirit, the sharing of culture and support for the community.

This year, in cooperation with the national the Belt and Road initiative, the city will hold the 2019 The Belt and Road Haihe River International Dragon Boat Racing.

This event is also a celebration of the 70th Anniversary of People’s Republic of China and the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.