Nanning to host China-cms Int'l Canoe Open, Nanning Dragon Boat Open

This year's China-cms International Canoe Open Tournament and Nanning Dragon Boat Open Tournament have been scheduled for June 21 and 22, respectively in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to local sports authorities on Sunday.

The 2023 China-cms International Canoe Open Tournament will kick off at 09:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday on the Yongjiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, with two competitive events of 200-meter straight race and 3,000-meter and 6,000-meter-long distance race. The participating teams will be divided into three groups -- professional group, public group and local group.

In addition to the teams from all over Guangxi, some 60 professional canoeing athletes from other province-level regions of China such as Yunnan and Guangdong, as well as 266 participants including professional players from 10 cms countries and regions and amateurs across China will also take part in the upcoming competition.

"With the approval of Chinese Canoeing Association and the Autonomous Regional Sports Bureau, the organizing committee has upgraded the canoeing competition to an international event. A total of 32 international players from eight countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, the United States, India, Sri Lanka and Nigeria have been invited to participate in the competition," said Wu Yu, head of Nanning Sports Bureau.

The competition will be the first major international event held in Nanning City since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese Canoeing Association will send 10 international or national level judges to ensure a fair, just and open event, Wu said.

The 2023 Nanning Dragon Boat Open Tournament will kick off on the Yongjiang River at 08:00 on Thursday. The event set up 200-meter and 300-meter straight races, divided into local group of 12-member dragon boat and open group of 22-member dragon boat. A total of more than 700 athletes from 36 teams will be onboard for the competition.

Dragon boat racing is among the various time-honored events celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival, which is an important traditional festival in China, and it falls on Friday this year.

In addition to the two tournaments, the organizing committee will also hold a great variety of Chinese traditional folk performances including dragon boat parades as well as dragon and lion dances to add to the festive atmosphere.