111 dragon boats, 19 foreign teams! The Guangzhou international dragon boat invitation tournament will be held on June 16

An international dragon boat invitation tournament is scheduled to open in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Sunday, showcasing the rich cultural tradition of Dragon Boat Festival with the participation of dozens of international racing teams, according to the organizers.

The tournament, to be held on a section of the Pearl River, which runs through the city, will include 111 boat racing teams. Nineteen will be from countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and overseas business organizations.
Six teams — from the cities of Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan and Zhaoqing in Guangdong, and Qingyuan and Longyan in neighboring Fujian province — will also participate, according to the organizers.

To promote the tournament and the traditional Dragon Boat Festival atmosphere, the organizers have planned a series of pre-competition activities at campuses and in local communities.
"Through learning and experiencing the dragon boat culture, young people can better understand and feel the unique charm of boat racing culture in Guangdong," said Lin Yanfen, deputy director of the tournament's organizing committee.
Lin said this year's races will include 600-meter straight-line sprints for dragon boats with 22 crew in four categories: men's open, women's open, men's international and university.
The competition will also feature a colorful dragon competition, with rankings determined by on-site scoring. Traditional dragon boat and lion dance performances will also be held to showcase the unique traditional culture of Guangdong.

On Sunday, an audience area will be set up at the North Entry of the Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou South Campus. Dragon boat lovers who would like to go are suggested to follow news and notices released by departments of public security and maritime safety as temporary traffic control will be imposed on nearby waterways and roads to secure a safe competition.
The areas to be put into traffic control are: the Pearl River section of the competition area (between the Square of Sun Yat-Sen University North Entry and Guangzhou Bridge), sections of the Qingbo Road, Tanyue Street, Haishan Street, Yuchang Street, and the Square of Sun Yat-Sen University North Entry.

Source：广州外事