From the Desk of the President
Submitted by Meri Gibson.
Greetings everyone from a beautiful spring day here in Christchurch, New Zealand. As we embark on another exciting dragon boat season, I wanted to share some updates and highlights with you.
I am so happy that the Dragonboat season has started again. I am loving my coaching journey that I am on it makes me see paddling in a whole different light and be a little bit more forgiving as people learn and grow as they develop along the pathway. I have certainly learnt to embrace people at all levels of the Sport away from being competitive and being more focused at them just enjoying it and loving the sport as much as I do.
As always, it has been a busy few months since the last newsletter. I was invited to the Gold Coast Australia for the Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA) Pink Paddle Power (PPP). What a fantastic event, there was so much pink, it was pinker than pink. We think that Temu would have made a nice little fortune out of the flamingo outfits that everybody was wearing for this event. There were many highlights such as the fantastic paddling, watching the flower ceremony, the meet and greet evening, the partying on the Saturday night and being invited to attend the DAA strategic planning workshop and the convention workshop. It was fabulous to see what this group is doing and how they are supporting their cohort of paddlers particularly in bringing together six composite teams to attend the festival in France.
From Australia it was a quick return trip to Auckland to turn around and hop on another flight to go to LA overnight and then onto Miami and the Bahamas. The flight was almost cancelled as there had been lightning prior to landing in Miami but we got there. This was my fifth trip to the Bahamas and you might ask why? This trip was by invitation of the Bahamas Dragon Boat Federation. The reason for being so interested in this region is that it is strategic to IBCPC and its development. Of our over 400 teams over 200 of them are based in this region from North America to Latin and South America. We see Central America becoming a strategic hub particularly to develop festivals and championships in between our four yearly participatory festivals. The Bahamas visit saw me accompanying the President of IDBF. We met with representatives from the Prime Minister’s office, officials from the Ministry of Tourism. the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, the Chinese Embassy representatives to discuss the economic and social benefits of dragon boat events in the Bahamas and the wider region. We also met with the Bahamas Olympic committee and it was particularly noted by them how important it was that I was there to represent breast cancer paddling and in being instrumental in starting dragon boat programs in the Bahamas. There is a strong possibility for having international training camps there also as a strategic base in the region.
There is further reporting in this newsletter with regards to the relationship that we have developed with our merchandise partner, Regatta Sport. There is also an update on the countries that are attending France 2026. I am also pleased to report on the global recognition that IBCPC and I have received for the global work that we have been doing. The board has been busy updating several of its projects.
However, we faced some disappointment regarding the dates for the 2026 Club Crew World Championships. The announced dates fall right across the weekend of our festival, despite our efforts to advocate for the original dates. We understand that many of our members will be disappointed, but we remain committed to working closely with the IDBF to avoid such conflicts in the future. Our goal is to ensure that our events are accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and we will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do.
As the end of the year draws upon us I would like to thank you all for the incredible engagement that we’ve had with you over the past year. It’s been a year that has been difficult for many people particularly the world economic situation, but what we are seeing is a growing demand for inclusion in sports like Dragon boating particularly for breast cancer survivors. The inclusion of our breast cancer category in the IDBF World Nations championships this year will no doubt have been a highlight for many.
As we look forward to the upcoming holiday season, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your dedication and support. Together, we will continue to achieve wonderful things and make a positive impact in the Dragon boat community. Your passion and commitment are what make our community so special, and I am grateful for every one of you. However you celebrate, whatever your thoughts and your beliefs are, may it be a blessed time as you hopefully get to spend this with your families and that you carry those adventures into the New Year with joy hope and love.
With much love always
Meri
