Ottawa, November 19, 2018 – When the annual Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival takes place on February 8-9, 2019 it will be larger than ever!
Registration for 100 teams opened October 1st, 2018 and sold out in under ten minutes for the third year in a row. Then in mid November an additional block of 25 spaces was opened, taking the total number of teams to 125. Simultaneously it was announced that the 2019 Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival would also be host to the first ever IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships. Now 125 teams will compete for both the prestigious Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival Championships and the IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships.
Athletes will be coming to the Nation’s Capital representing Canada, China, New Zealand, Ukraine and the United States.
About: Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival
The Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival held it’s sold out inaugural edition February 17th and 18th, 2017 which was the first of its kind in North America. Both the inaugural edition and the sophomore edition held February 9th and 10th, 2018 have set records for the largest ice dragon boat races in the world with 60 and then 100 teams competing. Additionally, each sold out in under 10 minutes. Taking place on the historic Rideau Canal Skateway, competitors thrill visitors to the National Capital Region and Winterlude by racing along the frozen surface of the World’s Largest Skating Rink and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Boats are equipped with skate-like blades and participants propell themselves along the 200-meter race course using spiked ice-picks, to the delight of record crowds in excess of 25,000.
The Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival has been prominently featured by local, national, and international media outlets. The Festival received impressive coverage on both the Feb. 28th edition of the Rick Mercer Report, the March 1st edition of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and China Central Television (CCTV) which is the predominant state television broadcaster in the People’s Republic of China. The Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival was named “New Company of the Year” at the 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards.
In addition to hosting the world’s largest ice dragon boat race, the festival is a world class event that offers free concerts, family fun, all aged activities, traditional Aboriginal dancers and Chinese lion dancers and many more festivities that celebrate the strong ties between Canada’s capital, and its sister city, China’s capital city, Beijing.
About: International Ice Dragon Boat Federation (IIDBF)
IIDBF is the official organization of ice dragon boat sports which is dedicated to the spread and development of ice dragon boat sport worldwide. IIDBF has published constitutions, articles, racing rules and regulations as well as racing technical specifications for international ice dragon boat races. The IIDBF is currently soliciting members.
For more information about the International Ice Dragon Boat Federation, please visit: iidbf.org
