IDBF RESOLUTION UPDATE
Participation of Athletes from Russia and Belarus at IDBF Championships

Summary

In alignment with international sports standards, the IDBF Executive Committee and the Council have jointly decided to update the resolution regarding the participation of Russian athletes. Under strict adherence to neutral status guidelines, Russian athletes will compete under the designation “AIN” (Authorized Independent Neutral) in all upcoming IDBF-sanctioned events.

This decision reaffirms the IDBF’s commitment to fostering inclusivity while maintaining integrity and unity in international dragon boat racing. The resolution ensures fair opportunities for athletes while adhering to global sports governance principles.

In March 2022, the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) determined that athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus would not be permitted to participate in IDBF championships. This decision was in alignment with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendations at that time regarding maintaining the integrity of competitions.

The IDBF committed to reviewing this stance periodically and reversing it if circumstances warranted.

As of today, the updated IOC recommendations from 28 March 2023 now apply, replacing those from 2022.

In line with the latest IOC recommendations, the IDBF will allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate under specific conditions:

• Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.
• Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.
• Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.
• Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.
• Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.

The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, must remain in place:

• No international sports events organized or supported by an IF or NOC in Russia or Belarus.
• No flag, anthem, colors, or any other identifications whatsoever of these countries displayed at any sports event or meeting, including the entire venue.
• No Russian or Belarusian government or state official can be invited to or accredited for any international sports event or meeting.

The IDBF seeks to avoid penalizing athletes for their governments’ actions. The IOC’s position leaves the definition of a “team” to each International Federation (IF). According to the IOC, a team is defined as a collection of individuals from the same country competing in a single event, which aligns with IDBF definitions. For clarity, in IDBF Competition Regulations, “crews” specifically refer to competitors.

To further clarify IDBF terminology:

• Article 11, Clause 11.3 of the IDBF Competition Regulations defines a “crew” as:

“Crew shall mean an entity comprised of more than one competing Racer who group together for the purpose of competing in a Dragon Boat Race, Event, or Regatta. A crew shall be considered an entity subject to these Regulations and Rules, and members of a crew shall be collectively responsible for its conduct in a race, event, or regatta in which the crew competes.”

• Article A1 defines “teams” as “Representative National or Territorial Teams.”
• Article A11.16 encompasses a team’s complete personnel—athletes, Congress delegates, and supporters—within a single national representation (e.g., Team Italy).
• Article CR 3.2 defines a “Representative Team” as a grouping of multiple crews within a national team framework at events like the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships (WDBRC), specifying minimum crew numbers for Standard and Small Boats across categories, such as Premier, Senior, 24U, and Junior.

The IDBF supports the autonomy of sport and maintains political neutrality, as established in the Olympic Charter. The inclusion of individual Russian athletes under AIN status represents a gesture of peace, encouraging dialogue and inclusivity among nations. The IDBF remains committed to the principle of “non-discrimination of any athlete on the basis of nationality.”

In conclusion, the IDBF confirms its interpretation of the IOC’s position and in the Declaration by the IOC against the politicisation of sport.

Resolution update

“Russian and Belarusian athletes may compete as part of a “crew” under AIN (Authorized Neutral Athlete) status, provided they do not represent Russia or Belarus as a “team.” In this context, a “team” is defined as a full entity comprising all athletes/coaches/officials and various crews under a single nation or territory, including cases where a competition involves a relay or similar format. Additionally, results achieved under the AIN designation will not be recorded in medal tables as representing a specific nation.”

This interpretation is supported by specific correspondence with the IOC.

This policy takes immediate effect, supersedes all previous policies, and will be updated according to developments in the conflict and any further resolutions from the IOC regarding the Olympic Games.

Claudio Schermi
IDBF President

Download PDF – 241123 – Update of the IDBF Resolution about Russia and Belarus

About the IDBF
The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) is the global governing body for dragon boat racing. Founded in 1991, it oversees and promotes the sport of dragon boat paddling across the world. With a mission to foster unity, friendship, and fair competition, the IDBF organises multiple international world championships, sets rules and standards for dragon boat racing and equipment, and has a membership base of over 80 national federations.

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The 4th IDBF World Cup to be held in October 2024 – Miluo City, China

The IDBF together with the Chinese Dragon Boat Association (CDBA), the Miluo City Government in China, and CCTV, has extended invitations to 12 IDBF member countries, including the host nation China, to compete in the 4th IDBF World Cup. The event is scheduled to take place in Miluo City from 22nd to 28th October 2024, with racing taking place over 2 to 3 days between 25th to 27th October.

“The 4th Edition of the IDBF World Cup in 2024 has great symbolic value as the IDBF and the CDBA bring dragon boating back to Miluo City, where Qu Yuan lived and died in 278 BC” said IDBF President Claudio Schermi. “The aim of the new format for the World Cup is to guarantee representation across all five IDBF Continental Federations. I’m confident that Africa will have a berth at the next World Cup in 2026. On behalf of the IDBF, I express my gratitude to the Government of Miluo, the CDBA for their invaluable efforts in realizing this project, and to CCTV for broadcasting the event to all our dragon boat sport fans worldwide.”

Team entries
To ensure global representation at the World Cup, the IDBF have allocated team entries according to the following quotas:

• 4 teams from Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF)
• 3 teams from European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF)
• 2 teams from Pan American Dragon Boat Federation (PADBF)
• 2 teams from Oceania Dragon Boat Federation (ODBF)
• 1 team from China (host nation).

Racing format
Mixed crews will compete in Standard Boats across the 100m, 200m, and 500m straight-line race distances.

Open and Women’s crews will compete in Small Boats, participating in a 400m team relay race and a 1000m team pursuit race.

The Small Boat crews will combine to form the Standard Boat Mixed crew.

Selected Representative Teams
Asia
Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Macau, and Thailand
China (host nation)

Europe
Germany, Great Britain and the Ukraine

Pan America
Canada and the United States of America

Oceania
Australia and New Zealand

Related news: IDBF President Claudio Schermi – visits Miluo, China the host city for the 4th IDBF World Cup

Enquiries
International Dragon Boat Federation
Media enquiries: idbfnews@dragonboat.sport

See past IDBF news releases or subscribe to IDBF News for updates.

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IDBF President Claudio Schermi – visits Miluo, China the host city for the 4th IDBF World Cup

The IDBF World Cup is back! It will be held in Miluo City (汨罗)in Hunan Province, China – the original ‘hometown of dragon boating’ in October this year.

Claudio Schermi, President of the IDBF along with today Peter Tang, IDBF General Secretary ,visited Miluo city to better understand the traditions and culture of dragon boat, the sport and the industry as a part of the site inspection and preparations for the 4th IDBF World Cup.

Also in attendance from the IDBF were Li Haigang, IDBF 5th Vice President, and He Yi, Chair of the IDBF Cultral and Heritage Commission. Claudio Schermi and delegates visited the Miluo River International Dragon Boat Race Centre, the Dragon Boat House in Quzi City, Quzi Cultural Park, and a local dragon boat building company.

The IDBF President participated in an exchange meeting with local government, provincial sports bureau and the Chinese Dragon Boat Association where he discussed the logistics required to organise international dragon boat competitions.

Claudio Schermi and the IDBF are very much looking forward to returning to Miluo, where the very first IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships was held in 1995.

Enquiries
International Dragon Boat Federation
Media enquiries: idbfnews@dragonboat.sport

See past IDBF news releases or subscribe to IDBF News for updates.

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Mr Claudio Schermi, President of IDBF cultural visit to ‘World Dragon Boat City’ Wenzhou, China

Zhang Zhenfeng (Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee), on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, welcomed the arrival of Claudio Schermi, President of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and his delegation. He stated that Wenzhou (中国温州) has a profound cultural heritage, a surge of entrepreneurship and innovation, an open and inclusive urban environment, and a good ecological environment. It is a city that coexists with dragon boat culture and integrates with the spirit of dragon boating. Wenzhou has a long history of dragon boat sports, complete facilities, and a solid mass foundation. It is currently striving to build itself into a “World Dragon Boat City,” contributing to the promotion of excellent traditional culture and the international development of dragon boat sports. He hoped that the IDBF could better guide Wenzhou in organizing related dragon boat events, promoting dragon boat culture, enhancing international exchanges, and promoting the implementation of mutual consensus, further promoting the internationalisation of dragon boat sports, and assisting in the construction of a “World Dragon Boat City,” allowing “Wenzhou” to showcase its unique brilliance.

Claudio Schermi thanked Wenzhou for its contributions to the development of dragon boat sports. He stated that Wenzhou’s dragon boat sport has a wide mass base and world-class venues. The IDBF will continue to deepen cooperation with Wenzhou by supporting international events and other activities to better develop dragon boat sports more quickly.

During their stay in Wenzhou, Claudio Schermi and his delegation visited the Tanghe Dragon Boat Racing History, Dragon Boat Sports Centre, Dragon Boat Museum, and Dragon Boat Academy.

He Yi, Secretary-General of the Chinese Dragon Boat Association, Wang Chengyun, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Dragon Boat Association and Chairman of the Zhejiang Province Dragon Boat Association, and city leaders Chen Yingxu and Chen Kuan attended the meeting.

Did you know?
Wenzhou is known as the “Famous Dragon Boat City in China”. Dragon boating in Wenzhou is a national sport with wide participation and great influence. Wenzhou maintains two Guinness World Records for “the largest number of participating teams” and “the largest number of participants”. The dragon boat spirit of “working together in the same boat and striving for the first” is integrated with the Wenzhou people’s spirit of “dare to be the first, especially capable of entrepreneurship and innovation”. The city also hosted dragon boat racing for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Enquiries
International Dragon Boat Federation
Media enquiries: idbfnews@dragonboat.sport

See past IDBF news releases or subscribe to IDBF News for updates.

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The IDBF today announced its partnership with RegattaSport as their official supplier of licensed merchandise.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the IDBF in 1991 as the world governing body of dragon boat sport. As such, the IDBF wish to mark the occasion by partnering with RegattaSport to supply commemorative merchandise for its 30th Anniversary and 15th World Nations Championship in Hong Kong.

“We are delighted to be working with RegattaSport as a professional and well established supplier of high performance gear. Our work ethos is very much aligned and we are confident they will deliver to the highest of standards.” Mike Thomas, President of IDBF said.

Established in 1988, RegattaSport offers world-class performance gear for a range of water sports. Business partners and former national team rowers, Chris Cookson and Joe Camillo understand what athletes want when it comes to peak performance and recovery both on and off the water.

“RegattaSport is proud to be the official merchandise partner during this special anniversary. We look forward to working with the IDBF team to bring items that paddlers will wear with pride for years to come.” Joe Camillo and Chris Cookson, co-founders of RegattaSport said.

RegattaSport have been providing high quality performance kits to many local, state and national teams worldwide for over twenty years. They are also the official merchandiser for Dragon Boat Canada, World Rowing in North America and the 2022 Canada Summer Games.

IDBF commemorative merchandise will be available for online pre-orders in the coming months.

IDBF-News-2021-01-IDBF-welcomes-RegattaS
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Enquiries

Email: idbfnews@dragonboat.sport

Email: regatta@regattasport.com

Website: https://regattasport.com/

See past IDBF news releases or subscribe to IDBF News for updates.

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