The IDBF is excited to announce a major update for the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg 2025, following the extraordinary surge in entries — nearly double those of the 2023 World Championships!
After an extraordinary Team Leaders’ meeting held on Saturday, 5 April, the IDBF Competition & Technical Committee, in close collaboration with the German Dragon Boat Association (DDV) and the Organizing Committee, has finalized a solution to accommodate the unprecedented number of participants.
With approval from the IDBF Council on 9 April, the updated race schedule is as follows:
- Monday & Tuesday (14-15 July): 2000m
- Wednesday (16 July): 1000m
- Thursday & Friday (17-18 July): 200m
- Saturday & Sunday (19-20 July): 500m
To avoid cancellation of any events and to maintain the fairness and excitement of competition, the Organizing Committee will now implement an 8-lane course and extend racing on Monday 14 July with an additional 5 hours (12:00–17:00). The Opening Ceremony will be in the evening at 19:00.
Additional key decisions include:
- Only one protest and no appeals will be accepted for the 2000m races.
- 1000m events will go straight to finals, except for a few selected categories requiring two rounds.
- For the 9 events currently with more than 8 entries, crews will race a preliminary heat followed by a final with the top 8 teams.
- Final formats will be confirmed after the entry deadline in June.
- Full details will be published in the Supplement to Information Bulletin No. 2.
“This proactive and athlete-focused solution reflects the IDBF’s commitment to ensuring a world-class racing experience for all participants — responding dynamically to the incredible growth in global dragon boat racing!”
Update to Provisional Entries
Argentina has been added as the latest provisional entry, bringing the total to 36 entries from IDBF members as of 10th April 2025.
Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong China, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Macao China, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United State of America and Russia under the IOC definition of Individual Neutral Athlete – Athlètes Individuels Neutres (AIN).
- Download Bulletin 2
- Supplementary Information – Bulletin 1
- Download Bulletin 1
- Download Official Invitation for WDBRC 2025 Brandenburg
See past IDBF news releases or subscribe to IDBF News for updates.