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Survivors in Sync

Submitted by: JoAnn Moore, IBCPC Southeast USA Representative.  The USA team Survivors in Sync from Sarasota Florida took GOLD in the Club Crew National Championships this October. They will now move onto World Competition in Taiwan in September 2026. These women worked hard all year and will make the USA proud. Wish them luck!...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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-...

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...

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...

Pink Paddlers Koblenz

Submitted by Pink Paddlers Koblenz and Karina Schuh.  This year, we created a very special campaign during Pinktober in Koblenz: “Pink Paddler – A Photo Campaign about Strength, Solidarity and Life after Breast Cancer.”It is more than a photoshoot – it is a statement. A statement for life, for resilience, for hope, for strength, for femininity, and for life after a breast cancer diagnosis.On September 18, 2025 we met at our paddling area: ten strong women from the team Pink Pad...

Editor's Report

Submitted by Louise Granahan.  Well, it certainly has been a busy time for breast cancer paddlers around the world!You will notice that there are a few articles about the World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. This is the first time that breast cancer teams have been able to participate in this event, mainly due to the tireless efforts of Meri Gibson.Just a few weeks prior to Worlds, the Pan Ams took place in Montreal, Québec, Canada. I was so fortunate to be able to attend this...

Dragons Abreast Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine 13/7/25.  By Sue Williams, Photos Brent Lewin.  JULY 11, 2025.  'Go us! Look at what we can do!' The water sport empowering breast cancer survivorsThe ancient sport of dragon boat racing is breathing a new spirit of joy and camaraderie into these paddlers' lives.It was her first dragon boat race that broke her. As Rose Glassock slipped her paddle into the water, bent forward and pulled it through the swell, in perfect ...

Latinoamérica en Rosa

Submitted by Floribeth Campos.  With great joy and deep pride, we are thrilled to share that, for the first time ever, a Latin American composite team was formed to participate in the Concor Pacific Dragon Boat Festival held this past June in Vancouver, Canada.Our team, called “Latinoamérica en Rosa”, brought together courageous breast cancer survivors from across our region — a dream made possible thanks to the vision and initiative of Adriana Bartoli, who years ago began to pl...

Introducing Fiona Slevin

The IBCPC board would like to sincerely thank Marion Egan for her contribution as national representative for Ireland. Marion has chosen to stand down because of her busy schedule. We are extremely lucky to welcome as the new representative for Ireland, Fiona Slaven. We know that Ireland will be in very good hands with Fiona looking after them as she has already given us some ideas in terms of development and growth. Fiona’s bio is below. ….I am a member of the Plurabelle Paddlers which is...

17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Championships

Submitted by Linda Kuska.   Look at how far the Breast Cancer Paddler (BCP) Division has come since it started 30 years ago in Vancouver! When I started dragon boating in 1999, we were widely accepted in community festivals but now BCP teams and paddlers can be whatever they want to be and be accepted in all levels of competition. On December 21, 2024, IDBF sent out Bulletin 1 in preparation for the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany and BCP was ...

Dragons on the Falkirk Wheel

Submitted by Pauline Doyle.  After months of planning and permission requests, the date finally arrived when Port Edgar Dragons could move their small boat Emma to the Falkirk Wheel Basin in readiness for the challenge to paddle from The Falkirk Wheel to Fountainbridge and back to Bridge 8, a total of 35 miles or 56.3kms. Taking in the Falkirk wheel, the only rotating lift bridge in the world, two locks, two tunnels including the Falkirk Tunnel the longest canal tunnel in Scotland, bu...

2025 Breast Cancer Flower Ceremony

Submitted by Brenda Hochachka.  Welcome to Vancouver and to the waters of False Creek where we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Abreast In A Boat.  The story of the flower ceremony began in 1996 at our inaugural race.Before leaving for that 1st race, I noticed that a 20- year- old climbing rose bush in my garden was covered with small fuchsia flowers, enough for each paddler on our boat.  As we pulled toward the dock after our race, there was a pause in our paddling and our ...

Dragonboat Festival Hanover 2025

Submitted by Christina (Pink Dragonistas Hannover).  This year Hannover welcomed 10 breast cancer standard boat teams for the fourth breast cancer cup as part of the 29th festival edition of our ,Drachenbootfestival Hannover` on Pentecost weekend. Again, we welcomed mostly BCP composite teams from different German clubs – with some paddlers experiencing their first regatta ever -, but also a Pink Royals team & friends formed of paddlers from Great Britain, but also Austria, Belgi...

President's Report

Across Borders, Beyond Waters: Reflections on My Recent TravelsA Journey of Discovery, Connection, and Inspiration for the IBCPC CommunityThe world unfurls itself in unexpected ways when viewed from the window of a plane, the deck of a ferry, or the rhythm of a new city’s streets. As a paddler and member of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) community, my recent travels took me across continents and cultures, weaving together the threads of camaraderie, resilience, ...

Join the IBCPC Team!

Expression of Interest – Director, Marketing and Global Sponsorship (Voluntary Position).  The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) is seeking applications for the position of Director: Marketing and Global Sponsorship. This is a vital role within the IBCPC, is aimed at promoting and supporting the development, participation, and recognition of breast cancer paddlers (BCP) in the sport of dragon boat paddling at all levels.The Director will work closely with the...

More News from Germany

This year´s German National Championships near Halle an der Saale felt very special for many BCP, as the German breast cancer paddling community is growing but also coming closer together! In June, teams from Berlin, Halle/Leipzig, Hannover and Wolfsburg met on the Osendorfer Lake to paddle for the German trophys. Many also came to prepare for the 17th IDBF World Championships scheduled less than a month later. While competing on the water, the teams met after the races celebrating life with ...

Latinoamerica in Rosa

In December 2024 the we received news of the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, tobe held in Vancouver in June 2025.On this occasion, the breast cancer teams were invited to participate in the Festival, and we are  obviously excited about the idea of competing in this very important event.For different reasons, South American countries were unable to bring together a delegation of 22 participants. It is then that Adriana Bartoli, Latin American representative of groups of women who have ...

Rotary International DB Fellowship Opportunity

Submitted by Toby Bothel.  Are you a BCS Dragon Boat paddler AND a member of Rotary International?Is your Dragon Boat team sponsored or supported by a Rotary International Club?I am the founder or Pura Vida Dragon Rosa, the first dragon boat team in Costa Rica. We welcome Breast Cancer Survivors and all other female cancer survivors. I am also a member of Rotary Club Garabito/Playa Jaco in Costa Rica.I would like to start an International Rotary Fellowship for BCS Dragon Boat paddlers....

News from Germany

We made history! For the first time ever, a BCP category was added to the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel! We can‘t thank our IBCPC president Meri Gibson and Ute Becker-Frenzel, the president of the German Dragonboat Federation (Deutscher Drachenbootverband) enough for making a pink dream come true!BCP Team Germany was formed joining paddlers from across the country, who met in Hannover, Wolfsburg and Berlin-Grünau for training camps to prepare for...

Aix-les-Bains

The Dragon Boat Festival 2025 from 27-29 June 2025 was not just the test run for the big IBCPC Festival 2026 in this location – but also the very first appearance of the brand new Pink Ribbonettes Team from Belgium in competition mood. The Belgium breast cancer paddlers merged forces and will participate in the Festival 2026 together with some friends from France.And what a weekend it was! Within one race day, the paddlers grew from a “group of paddlers” to a real team. Already after the f...

Abreast In A Boat Marks 30 Years

Submitted by Debbie Mills, Communications Chair, Abreast In A Boat.  A Milestone EventAbreast In A Boat turns 30!  To celebrate this milestone, we invited the breast cancer paddling world to Vancouver, where it all began.  And came they did!  We welcomed 28 teams from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Latin America to join our 6 crews as well as many alumni and supporters.It was a memorable weekend packed with camaraderie, competition and reflection.�...