THE LAKE OF AURONZO IS CANDIDATE FOR THE 2025 ICF DRAGON BOAT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

PRESS RELEASE of 26 February 2021

THE LAKE OF AURONZO IS CANDIDATE FOR THE 2025 WORLD DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS

The decision by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) will be made in mid-March.

During the year in which Auronzo di Cadore is the 2021 European City of Sport, a new organisational challenge is taking shape. The process began last October, during the second wave of Covid, but it was only a few days ago that the ICF communicated the results of the BID questionnaire, the proposal submitted by the organisers. The candidate cities are Auronzo di Cadore (Italy) and Ruse (Bulgaria).

The next editions of this event are scheduled to be held in Poznan (Poland) in 2021, in Ternopil (Ukraine) in 2022, in Hangzhou (China) in 2023 and Ningbo (China).

For Auronzo di Cadore’s Lake Santa Caterina which has already hosted major kayak (2018 European Championships) and dragon boat events (2015 European Championships), and will also be host to the 2023 ICF Junior and Under 23 World Championships, the eventual assignment of the 2025 World Dragon Boat Championships would represent another step in the multi-year project where sports events are an added value for the territory from both a social and economic prospect, and in the context of developing quality international tourism.

“Even if there are only two competitors, the assignment of the event will not be a simple or obvious”- comments Andrea Bedin, the sports manager who followed the entire candidacy.

“Auronzo has all the credentials to be assigned this event” – continues Mr Bedin – “especially because the Lake of Santa Caterina has already hosted the 2015 European Dragon Boat Championships. However, the city of Ruse (Bulgaria) is very determined, and with a population of one hundred and sixty-five thousand people, it is Bulgaria’s fifth largest city. It is a city with a great history and fine architecture and is often referred to as the ‘little Vienna’. The regatta course is set up on the Danube River which, although crossed by many currents, has the width which would permit it to realise important canoe and dragon boat events. Moreover” – continues Mr Bedin – “Italy has already hosted the World Dragon Boat Championships in 2017 but this should not be a problem considering that China will organise consecutive editions in 2023 and 2024.”

“I am sure” – concludes Mr Bedin – “that it will be a great head-to-head competition even if having obtained the 2023 kayak world championships have demonstrated that Auronzo is greatly appreciated on an international level, in particular thanks to the fantastic and impeccable organisation of the 2018 European Junior and Under 18 Championships, which is still well established in the memories of all the continental teams who participated.”

While awaiting the verdict of 12nd of March 2021, the preparation work continues and the synergy of the Promotional Committee made up of the Municipality of Auronzo di Cadore and the Venice Canoe & Dragon Boat ASD sports association is strongly supported by the Italian Canoe and Kayak Federation (FICK), the Veneto Regional Committee of FICK, the Province of Belluno and the Veneto Region.

Statement by the President of the Regione Veneto, Mr. Luca Zaia

“The 2015 Europeans in Auronzo were a great success in terms of organisation, sport and entertainment. Starting with this premise, the candidacy to host the 2025 World Championships is the natural development of a prestigious and consolidated sporting reality in an ideal competition venue such as the splendid Lake of Auronzo. It would be, it will be, a magnificent prelude to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, with sport once again driving the touristic and economic development of the Veneto mountains. I wish this candidacy the success it deserves, confident that the proposers will not give up until the last possible day.  Like I said when Milano-Cortina 2026 remained the only competitor against Are. And we know how that went!””

Statement by the Mayor of Auronzo di Cadore, Mrs Tatiana Pais Becher

”The Municipal Administration of Auronzo is proud, after having hosted with great success the 2018 European Canoe Championships and having seen the ICF 2023 Junior and Under 23 Canoe Sprint World Championships assigned in 2019, of the joint decision to propose the candidacy for the 2025 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships. A world-renowned event that, if assigned to us, will have as an exceptional location a unique competition field such as Lake Santa Caterina, a body of water surrounded by the most beautiful Dolomite peaks from whose waters it is possible to admire in all their majesty the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the symbolic mountains of the Dolomites, a World Heritage Site. This umpteenth candidacy of Lake Santa Caterina di Auronzo di Cadore confirms the importance of the synergy between sport, tourism and territory for the future development of the Cadore mountains also in view of a future involvement of the Land of the Tre Cime and its sports facilities in the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics ""

For any further information, contact:

Dott. Andrea Bedin - cell. 335.8177188 – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.