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IBCPC Values Statement

As part of our ongoing reflection on who we are and what we stand for, we conducted an unscientific piece of research asking you “what values are important to you” and invited our members to share the values that matter most to them within the IBCPC community. Your thoughtful contributions shaped the development of this values statement below which we believe truly reflects your collective voice and the meaningful role IBCPC plays in your lives.1. ConnectionWe are united by movement and str...

Boobops Team Story

The Boobops Dragon Boat Team, proudly representing the Bay of Plenty, is celebrating one of its strongest and most inspiring seasons yet. As they prepare for the National Championships at Lake Karāpiro in Cambridge, the team continues to embody the determination, inclusiveness, and unwavering spirit that have made them one of New Zealand’s most respected women’s dragon boat teams.This season has highlighted the Boobops at their finest. Their training programme—rooted in commitment, discip...

Breast Cancer Recurrence

Submitted by Meri Gibson.  Ongoing research is unlocking new ways to understand and prevent breast cancer recurrence. Here is a powerful glimpse into groundbreaking findings that could reshape survivorship care. Below is a summary of an article that I read in Science Pulse, it makes for remarkably interesting and exciting research reading. The article itself follows my summary.5-Point SummaryBreast cancer recurrence risk can reach 30% due to dormant tumour cells that evade standard tre...

Meri's Coaching Tips

Getting back on the waterAs the weather warms up and we start on water sessions again before the paddling season kicks off, there is an undeniable sense of excitement. We are all eager to hit the water, feel the paddle in our hands, and get back into paddling.However, after a winter off or a break from structured training, it's important to understand that jumping back in without proper preparation can lead to setbacks. While it may seem tempting to dive right into long sessions, it is essential...

Festival Update

Festivals, festivals and even more festivals! And the biggest one for us is now racing toward us faster than ever. When we first set the date for France 2026, it felt impossibly far away—as though it would never actually arrive. But here we are… counting down the final months, and suddenly it’s all becoming real.The anticipation is building. The nerves. The planning. The endless checklists.Is my uniform ready? Do I have all my gear? Are my tickets sorted? Is the budget on track? What am I ...

From the President's Desk

Greetings everyone,As we reach the close of what has been a rather underwhelming New Zealand summer, today feels like a gift. The sun is finally out, the sky is clear, and I’m writing this message to you on a truly beautiful day. It feels like the perfect moment to share some exciting updates.Over the past few months, we’ve taken a close look at how we communicate with you—especially through our newsletter. Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent survey. Your feedback was honest,...

News from Argentina

Submitted by Matilde Yahni.  ** Note from Meri Gibson, IBCPC President I very affectionately recall visiting Buenos Aires in October 2016 when the new team of Rosas Del Plata had only just formed less than a year earlier. We had the opportunity to speak to several medical people, the media and breast cancer survivors. Dr Don McKenzie and I also made television appearances and conducted interviews. It was fantastic to see the team celebrate its 10th anniversary on 11/11/25.The orig...

Amazing Donation for Metastatic Research

Respectfully shared by Meri Gibson.  As we know many of our cohort of breast cancer survivor paddlers become metastatic and we agree with the comments from Elaine Saverin that they are often left on the margins of treatment.This donation will make an amazing difference in research and modalities of care. Please do read it as it is a wonderful donation and article.Read here: AMAZING DONATION...

Busting Out Ottawa

Submitted by Jennifer Greene.  From paddles to petals, our team made waves on land! Busting Out paddlers surprised teammate Nikki Bedard with a wedding-day paddle arch that turned heads in downtown Ottawa.On Saturday, September 20, 2025, in downtown Ottawa, 25 members of the Busting Out Ottawa Dragon Boat Club gathered outside the Lord Elgin hotel to create a stunning paddle arch in celebration of teammate Nikki Bedard’s wedding at the National Arts Centre across the street. The...

Global Health and Pharma

After carefully reviewing your supporting information and completing our internal assessment, I am pleased to be in touch today with some exciting news.Following our merit-led research and evaluation process International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission has been recognised as the deserving recipient of:Healthy Lifestyle & Inclusion Organisation of the Year 2025The Women’s Health Awards 2025, proudly hosted by Global Health & Pharma, mark an exciting new chapter in championing ex...

Indy SurviveOars Pink Paddle Party

Yee-Haw! The Indy SurviveOars held their annual Gala fundraiser known as the Pink Paddle Party on October 17, 2025. This year’s theme was Saddle Up & Give Cancer the Boot! Over 260 sponsors, donors and guests brought out their cowboy hats and fancy boots for a rustic and fun evening of dinner, line dancing, exciting silent and live auctions, delicious dessert dash and a chance to win $1000 worth in gift cards all to celebrate and raise funds for the Indy SurviveOars dragon boat team from I...

Doha Wireless Warriors

The Doha Wireless Warriors started 12 years ago in Doha, Qatar after its founder, Sandee Thompson, was recovering from a bilateral mastectomy for a recurrence of breast cancer. What started as a once weekly paddle of survivors and supporters in a rented boat soon turned into three and sometimes seven days a week worth of sessions in our own two boats… Accidentally…. inadvertently….we’ve become a force to be reckoned with in our community. We do a lot of awareness-building workshops and t...

Letter to IDBF re Festival Timing

An open letter to the IDBF regarding concerns about the timing of the Club Crew World Championships in 2026.This overlaps with the dates of our 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival and poses significant challenges for our members.Please download below to read:...

IDBF World Championships

Submitted by Meri Gibson.  Following the success of the inclusion of the breast cancer paddler category in the IDBF world Championships in Brandenberg, Germany this year, we assessed the ruling we introduced into the IDBF Rules of racing. We felt it would be pertinent to slightly change the wording so that it removed the need to have an annual diagnosis because as we know it is not a disease that ever goes away, it is a diagnosis for life. We also wanted to remove the need to confirm a...

IBCPC Board's Year In Review

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  Over the past year or so, the IBCPC board has undertaken significant efforts to review and enhance its foundational documents and strategic plans. This comprehensive review was initiated from the 2023 Congress and has continued to shape the board's direction and priorities.Review of the Constitution and By-LawOne of the primary focuses of the IBCPC board this year has been the meticulous review of the layout of the constitution and by-...

Global Health Award!

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  I am deeply honoured and surprised to have been given this recognition. Whilst it is me that is being honoured it is a global effort from everyone that this recognition has come about. Our story is spreading so quickly around the globe and it is super exciting to be part of this adventure every single day. “ EXERCISE IS MEDICINE.” ...

Festival Between Festivals

Uniting Survivors and Supporters Through Sport, Culture, and Celebration.  Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  Breast cancer dragon boat paddling has emerged as a powerful movement, bringing together survivors, supporters, and communities around the globe. In Central and Latin America, where vibrant cultures and warm communities thrive, participatory festivals centred around dragon boating have become catalysts for healing, empowerment, and awareness. This arti...

Continents Collaborating

Submitted by JoAnn Moore, IBCPC Southeast USA Representative.  We caught a rare glimpse of three of our IBCPC Representatives, JoAnn Moore of North America, Wendy Grose of Northern Europe, and Orit Ziv-Ackerman of Southeast Asia brainstorming at the Cyprus International Dragon Boat Regatta, October 11-12, 2025...

Dragons Abreast Australia

Submitted by Sharon Cooper, Board Member, Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA).   The pink paddles were out in full force at the Australian Masters Games in Canberra from 18th – 20th October 2025, with Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA) members coming together from across Australia to race, connect, and celebrate everything that makes our community so special. The banks of Lake Burley Griffin was the perfect setting for   the breast cancer paddlers to enjoy three days of conne...

IBCPC Merchandise

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  IBCPC is thrilled to announce our merchandise partnership with Regatta Sport.Regatta Sport Is a Canadian company who manufacture their merchandise in Canada. They will be well known to many of you, particularly in the northern hemisphere, as they have produced clothing merchandise for the USA national team, the Canadian national team, and were also the merchandise partner at the recent IDBF world championships in Brandenburg Germany.&n...

News from Germany - Dresden

On Saturday, September 20th, 80 breast cancer paddlers and friends from across Germany (Bochum, Dresden, Hamburg, Hannover, Heilbronn, Jena, Leipzig, Schierstein, Wolfsburg and Worms) met at the clubhouse WSV Blaues Wunder, home of the pink paddlers Dresden, to spend the beautiful sunny autumn day together.Mixed in 4 dragonboats, they started on a “field trip” on the River Elbe, paddling from the blue bridge known as the blue wonder to Pillnitz Palace, taking a break for coffee and cake on t...

Chile Dragon Boat Festival

Submitted by Paula Farías.  We have experienced in Chile a great celebration of companionship, teamwork, respect, humility, generosity, and above all, sisterhood.  The 3rd Dragon Boat Festival was organized by the Fortale-Senos Chile team in alliance with the Confucius Institute of Santo Tomás University and the Embassy of China in Chile.At the Carén Park lagoon, for the first time, we brought together 300 breast cancer survivors who love this sport and have made it an importan...

Countries Going to IBCPC France 2026

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  Some of you have been asking which countries and the names of teams that are attending the festival in 2026. As some teams are still reshuffling their numbers and team names and with the dates announced for the IDBF club crew world championships there has been some further movement of team numbers. We did not want to publish the team names just yet until that is totally finalised, however we are very happy to share with you the countri...

Editor's Report

Submitted by Louise Granahan.  Yesterday, I took part in a ritual performed by Canadians from coast to coast.  I switched over my clothes.  Summer clothes went into storage in the basement, and the winter gear moved upstairs.  I said a fond farewell to my paddling clothes until April, when they will once again resurface. With the change of the clocks, darkness has descended again, and I must now think of something else to do to take the place of paddling, just as te...

Congratulations

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  The board of IBCPC wishes to congratulate IDBF President Claudio Schermi on his election to the board of AIMS. This is a four year term and we are sure that in his term Claudio will be campaigning for the inclusion of Dragon boating as an Olympic sport. IDBF NEWS RELEASE:IDBF President Claudio Schermi Elected to AIMS Council for a Four-Year TermOctober 30, 2025News Release (#2025-14)Lausanne, Switzerland – 27 October 2025. The A...