After France
Kia ora koutou katoa, dear paddlers, friends and supporters,
It is now two months since we left the shores of Lac du Bourget, I am still carrying the colour, the music and the warmth of Aix-les-Bains. The 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival brought 4,500 breast cancer survivors and supporters from across the globe to France’s largest natural lake. It was one of the most moving gatherings our community has ever known.
At the Opening Ceremony I welcomed you with a mihi whakatau, a Māori welcome, and with a message I hold close: a diagnosis is not a full stop. We are thrivers, not only survivors. Over the week that followed, you proved it again and again, on the water and off it.
A festival of reconnection
The spirit of the week was never about split times. It was about reconnecting. Old friends found each other again, new crews were formed, and paddlers whom they had never met discovered they shared the same story. The Parade of Nations filled the streets with flag after flag while dragon boats paddled alongside on the lake, street and water united in one moment of colour and life.
Your voices tell the story best. Thank you to the paddlers who completed our post-festival survey. When we asked for the single best part of the Festival, two answers came up more than any others: the camaraderie of paddling alongside survivors from other countries, and the Flower Ceremony. You wrote about “the opportunity to mix with paddlers from other countries” and “being proud to be part of such an amazing community.” The Flower Ceremony, where we honour those, we have lost to breast cancer, while celebrating those we share our lives with, remains the heart of what makes an IBCPC Festival unlike any other event in our sport.
You also told us the fundamentals were strong. On a scale of five (5), you rated:
Accreditation that gave you the access you needed: 4.41
Volunteers who were easy to find and helpful: 4.36
Safe, professionally managed boat launch and retrieval: 4.34
A Festival that felt welcoming and inclusive regardless of country, language or ability: 4.22
A genuine effort to minimise environmental impact: 4.21
Survivor-eligibility checks that were respectful and confidential: 4.16
The volunteers and team ambassadors earned some of the warmest praise of all: “the volunteers were fabulous, can’t thank them enough.” To every volunteer who stood in the sun so that we could paddle, merci du fond du cœur.
Your honest feedback on heat, shade and on-site communications has been heard, and it will shape our conversations with future hosts. It is worth explaining how our Festivals work. IBCPC signs a Memorandum of Understanding with each Festival’s organisers, setting out what we ask of them. But IBCPC has no control over what the authorities in a host region may require, nor can we control how the organisers deliver against our ask. We entrust them with both the deliverables and the financial viability necessary for the success of these Festivals.
We ask a great deal of our hosts. IBCPC takes no financial risk; the organisers take it all. That is why we are so grateful to the team in Aix-les-Bains for taking on that responsibility and bringing the world to Lac du Bourget.
We are deeply grateful to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the city of Aix-les-Bains for opening their streets, waterways and hearts to us, and to the organising team whose years of work showed in so much of the detail.
One evening will stay with me always. We honoured Les Drôles de Rames, the Dragon Ladies of Lac d’Annecy, with a cruise on their home waters. In 2012 they became one of France’s first breast cancer paddling teams, naming themselves “the funny paddles” with a wink rather than a wound. Their boat started the movement that brought the world to Lac du Bourget. Together with our IBCPC Regional Coordinators and National Representatives, we celebrated with food, dancing and a great deal of singing.
The 5th IBCPC Congress
On 27 August 2026, delegates from around the world met in person in Aix-les-Bains for the 5th IBCPC Congress. It was a Congress that celebrated how far we have come and set a clear direction for where we go next.
We were addressed by Claudio Schermi, President of the International Dragon Boat Federation. He spoke of IBCPC’s distinctive contribution to the Dragon Boat movement and confirmed IDBF’s commitment to continued cooperation with us.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2018 IBCPC had about 190 teams in 19 countries. Today we have more than 430 teams in 43 countries. That growth belongs to our National Representatives, Regional Coordinators, Country Liaisons and volunteers, and Congress thanked them warmly. Our next phase will focus on:
A tiered growth framework, built with our Regional Coordinators and National Representatives
A mentor–peer model pairing established communities with developing regions
A reliable process for membership data, supported by a professional data platform
Congress approved the financial statements presented by Interim Treasurer Sue von Richter and supported the move to professional accounting software and clearer reporting. Congress backed a comprehensive, member-led review of our Constitution and Bylaws, which were first shaped in 2010. Members will be invited to take part in an Expression of Interest for that work.
Our guest speakers reminded us why we do all of this. Dr Tracy Sexton, Chair of our Medical Advisory Panel, reviewed twenty years of advances in breast cancer treatment and the growing evidence that exercise is medicine. Melissa Adams, coach and Team USA para-athlete, spoke powerfully about inclusion and about helping every survivor discover what she can do.
Welcome to our Board
Congress elected two members of the Board by secret ballot. It is my great pleasure to congratulate them:
Kris Kunze, Vice President
Veronica Carlos, Secretary
Kris and Veronica, welcome. You join the Board at an exciting moment in our history, and I look forward to working alongside you as we grow, strengthen our governance and reach more survivors around the world.
I am also delighted to welcome Sue von Richter as Interim Treasurer. Sue brings deep professional experience in finance, accounting and not-for-profit administration, and she has already made a strong start, including presenting our financial statements to Congress.
We warmly welcome Jo Parry back into the role of Information Director, and I am pleased that Linda Kuska will remain as Membership and Team Development Director. We will announce the new director’s roles in due course.
Thank you, Ann, Lucia and Janice
On behalf of the Board and our whole international family, I thank Ann Forbes Arndt for her service as Secretary. Ann carried a heavy load with grace, including the preparation and running of the Congress.
I also thank Lucia de Ranieri for her service as Vice President. Lucia gave generously of her time, energy and wisdom, and her contribution has helped shape the IBCPC we are today.
We also say farewell to Janice Melville as Treasurer as she steps aside for health reasons. Janice cared for our finances with diligence and dedication, and Congress joined me in thanking her for her service. Janice, we send you our love and every good wish.
Volunteer leadership asks a great deal of the people who take it on. Ann, Lucia and Janice, thank you for everything you have given.
Looking ahead
Our Future Festivals Committee has set out an inspiring pathway, with Festivals in Singapore 2030 and Sydney 2034, and smaller Wellness Retreats in between, beginning with the Bahamas in 2028.
This month I travel to South America, starting with the first Pink Festival in Brazil, followed by visits to Argentina and Chile. I will meet National Representatives and teams to listen first-hand, and to support our paddlers’ ambition to race at the Pan Am Club Crew Championships in Brazil in 2027. I look forward to sharing what I learned in our next newsletter.
Aix-les-Bains showed what this community can do when we come together. Thank you to the Board, our members, partners, volunteers and every paddler for making it so special.
Ngā mihi nui,
Meri Gibson
President, International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission
