International Dragon Boat Federation
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 Map of the members of IDBF according to their confederation | |
| Abbreviation | IDBF |
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| Formation | 24 June 1991 |
| Type | Federation of national associations |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 62 national associations |
Official language | English, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese[1] |
Executive President | Mike Haslam |
President | Mike Thomas |
| Website |
www |
| International Dragon Boat Federation | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國際龍舟聯合會 | ||||||
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The International Dragon Boat Federation (Traditional Chinese: 國際龍舟聯合會) is the international governing body for the team water sport of dragon boat racing. The IDBF was founded by representatives from Australia, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Singapore and the US in Hong Kong on 24 June 1991. As of 1 Jan 2008, there are 62 countries or territories with membership of the IDBF, with a further 12 Countries with a known interest in the sport.
The Great Britain representatives are known as the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (BDA).
According to the introduction on IDBF's official page, in the 1970s the Hong Kong Tourist Association (now Tourist Board) decided to stage an International Dragon Boat Festival to promote Hong Kong. In 1976 the first Hong Kong International Races took place, an event recognised today, by dragon boaters world wide, as the start of the 'Modern Era' of Sport Dragon Boat Racing. The HKIR developed into an annual festival of enormous success and impressive press pictures of the Hong Kong Races went around the world. Until the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was formed in 1991, the HKIR were the 'unofficial club crew world championships' of the sport. Crews who competed in the HKIRthen went home and started their own Dragon Boat Associations, then the EDBF (European), the IDBF and the ADBF (Asian) Federations'. Three Federations who now govern Dragon Boating as practised in over 60 countries.