athletes Archives - International Dragon Boat Federation

IDBF Announces New Athletes Commission Leadership

belinda — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:15:37 +0000

NEWS RELEASE (#2025-12)

IDBF Announces New Athletes Commission Leadership

The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) is pleased to formally announce the new Athletes Commission for the 2025–2027 term, following its inaugural meeting held in late August. The Commission was first introduced informally at the Closing Ceremony of the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg on 8 August 2025.

We extend our sincere thanks to Sue Holloway for her dedicated service as Chair of the Athletes Commission and as an Executive and Council Member. Her leadership has been instrumental in strengthening athlete representation and shaping the Commission’s future direction. At the Brandenburg Closing Ceremony, Sue presented the incoming Commission to Council and paddlers.

The newly appointed Athletes Commission comprises:

Ross Flemer – USA
Gianni Aprea – Hong Kong
Ma Qingliang – China
Daniel Woods – UAE
David Maréchal – Canada
Max Lowe – Germany
Brittnee Garrett – Australia
Nadja Arauz – Panama

Brittnee Garrett and Nadja Arauz were appointed by the IDBF President in consultation with the outgoing Chair, Sue Holloway, in accordance with Article 12 of the Athletes Commission.

At the Commission’s first formal meeting in late August, Sue Holloway chaired the opening session and delivered a handover presentation. The Commission then appointed Ross Flemer as Chair, with Gianni Aprea and David Maréchal as Vice Chairs. The group now meets monthly to advance its priorities, including the development of an Athletes Survey to gather insights and guide future advocacy.

We look forward to working with this new team to strengthen the role of athletes within the IDBF, promote our sport, and ensure that the Athletes Commission continues to be a strong and active voice in our global dragon boating community.

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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EOI – Nominations for the Appointment of two Female Paddlers to the IDBF Athletes Commission

belinda — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:30:24 +0000

NEWS RELEASE (#2025-08)

Expression of Interest for Appointment of Two Female Paddlers to the IDBF Athletes Commission

The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) is seeking nominations for the appointment of two (2) female Premier paddlers to serve as appointed members of the IDBF Athletes Commission, in accordance with the procedure outlined in Clause 12 of the Athletes Commission Regulations.

This call for nominations is made in the context of the upcoming 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, which will be held at the Regatta Venue Beetzsee, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, from 14th to 20th July 2025. The IDBF Athletes Commission will be announced during the Championships.

Commission Composition

Up to five (5) active athletes elected by their peers;
Up to two (2) additional active athletes appointed by the IDBF President, in consultation with the Commission Chair, to ensure the Commission remains at a total of seven (7) members.

To promote gender balance and fair representation, and in light of the fact that all current candidates for election are male, the IDBF has resolved to appoint two Premier women paddlers as appointed members.

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees must be Active Premier Women Athletes, having competed or intending to compete in the IDBF World Championships in 2024 or 2025.
Nominees must be members of the IDBF Member Federation of their country of residence.
Each nomination must be formally endorsed by the respective IDBF Member Federation.
Nominees must not belong to a country that already has a member serving on the Commission (Germany, Canada, UAE, Hong Kong, USA).

How to Nominate

Member Federations are invited to submit:

A brief sporting CV or athlete profile of the nominee;
A letter of endorsement from the Member Federation.

All nominations must be sent to the IDBF General Secretary at general-secretary@dragonboat.sport no later than Sunday, 6th July 2025 (23:59 UTC).

Reference Documents

Election Committee

The appointment process is overseen by the IDBF Election Committee, composed of:

Claudio Schermi – IDBF President
Peter Tang – IDBF General Secretary
Sue Holloway – Chair of the IDBF Athletes Commission

We encourage all eligible female Premier athletes to participate in this important process and help shape the future of international dragon boat racing.

Peter Tang
IDBF General Secretary

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Athletes Commission Election Notice

belinda — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:33:36 +0000

NEWS RELEASE (#2025-01)

Athletes Commission Election Notice

Dear IDBF Members,

The election for the IDBF Athlete’s Commission will be held during the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships at the Regatta Venue Beetzsee in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, from 14th to 20th July 2025. This is an opportunity for athletes to elect representatives to advocate on their behalf within the IDBF.

Key Details

Eligibility: Candidates must meet the criteria outlined in the IDBF Athlete’s Commission Election Procedure, including being Active Premier Athletes as defined in the regulations.
Nomination Process: Each Member Country may nominate one eligible candidate. Nominations will close three months before the Championships.
Election Period: Voting will begin three days before the first day of racing and conclude one hour after the final race.
Voting Eligibility: All athletes with an Athlete’s Accreditation at the event may vote. Proxy voting is not allowed.

This election is conducted under IDBF Bye-Law 5.3, as detailed on page 29 of the IDBF Bye-Laws (Edition 10.2) and the attached Athlete’s Commission Regulation and Election Procedure (dated 26th July 2019).

Election Committee

The Election Committee overseeing the process is comprised of:

Claudio Schermi – IDBF President
Peter Tang – IDBF Secretary General
Sue Holloway – Chair of the Athlete’s Commission

For further details on eligibility, the nomination process, or election guidelines, please refer to the IDBF Athlete’s Commission Election Procedure or contact the Election Committee via general-secretary@dragonboat.sport.

We encourage all eligible athletes to participate actively in this important process and help shape the future of dragon boat racing.

Sincerely,

Peter Tang
IDBF Secretary General

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