Dragon Boat Information and Events
  • Home
  • News
    • From the Boat
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
    • Breast Cancer Awareness
    • Forums
    • Boat Maintenance
    • Coaching
      • Organize a Team
      • Training Tips
  • Events
    • Events List View
    • Events Photo VIew
    • Festivals
    • Races
    • Regattas
    • Champion Events
      • IDBF
      • Continental
      • National
    • Past Events
    • Submit a Favorite Event
  • Clubs
    • Club Listing
    • Club Search by State
    • Club Search by Country
    • Clubs by Region
    • Coaching
      • Organize a Team
      • Training Tips
    • Training
    • Boat Maintenance
    • Submit a Club
  • Organizations
    • IDBF
    • PADBF
    • USDBF
    • DBC
    • EDBF
  • Official
    • IDBF Rules and Documents
    • USDBF Rules and Publications
    • WADA News
    • Race Official
    • Governing Organizations
      • International
      • National
    • Documents
      • Hard Copy
      • Safety
      • Coaches
  • Social
    • Dragon Boaters
    • Facebook
    • Twitter Feed
    • Links
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
    • RSS Feed
    • Forums
    • Boat Maintenance
    • Coaching
      • Organize a Team
      • Training Tips
  • Store
    • Manufacturers
    • Book Store
  • About
    • Mission
    • Contact
      • Email Us
      • Feedback
      • FAQ
    • Dragon Boat History
    • Dragon Boat Festival
    • Book Store
    • Stay Connected
      • RSS Feed
    • Partner
  • Members
  • Home
  • IDBF

The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was formally constituted in June 1991. The IDBF is the world governing organization for Dragon Boating. All other organizations report up to the IDBF in one way or another. Detailed IDBF World Championship Results are located at the IDBF website.

A brief history of the IDBF from the IDBF About page.

Whilst the IDBF was only formally constituted in June 1991, there has been traditional dragon boating in Southern China for over 2000 years. International competitions, for non-national crews, have been staged since June 1976 when overseas crews were invited, for the first time, to race in the traditional Hong Kong Festival Races. It is from this event and date that the Members of the IDBF accept and record that the ‘modern era’ ofdragon boating began.

Following the example of Hong Kong, other quite independent international races were quickly established, at ‘club level’ (notably in Singapore; Malaysia; Canada; New Zealand Australia and Sweden) and common Rules and Regulations for international races were developed. In the early 1980’s the sport began to develop as a recognised sport and from the mid 1980s onwards, dragon boat associations, with formal constitutions and quite independent of any other sports governing bodies, were established in Asia, Europe, Americas, Australia and Africa (DBFA).

In the late 1980s ad hoc meetings were held and minutes recorded, between representatives of the established dragon boat groups and newly emerging crews,with regard to forming Continental and World Federations for the sport. As a result of these ongoing discussions the European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF) was formed in 1990, followed by the IDBF in 1991 and the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF) in 1992. The Oceania Federation will be established in 2008.

These independent Dragon Boat Federations now act as the representative bodies for the sport; enact international rules and regulations and organise dragon boat championships for their member associations. The Continental Federations recognise the IDBF as the world governing body for the sport. In 2005 the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) accepted the ADBF as having responsibility for the sport in Asian and in 2007 the General Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) accepted the IDBF as the Sport’s World Governing Body and Dragon Boating as an independent Sport. In April 2007 the IDBF was admitted into GAISF (GAISF is now named SportAccord) membership.

The organization chart below denotes the organization of the Americas hierarchy.

Get Articles via Email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Our Twitter Feed

Security Error from tmhOAuth.

Dragon Boating Post by Date

June 2025
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Dec    

Recent Posts

  • USDBF Board of Directors and their Officers

    December 7, 2016
  • Dragon Boat Associations in the Americas and how they are related

    June 30, 2015
  • XGenerals Dragon Boat Training Videos

    May 11, 2015
  • 2nd Pan American Dragon Boat Championships

    May 1, 2015
  • BCS – Why a Separate Team

    January 5, 2015
  • Breast Cancer Survivors – Why Dragon Boating

    January 5, 2015
  • 9th Annual Club Crew World Championships – Live Broadcast

    September 2, 2014
  • New Race added to the AZDBA Dragon Boat Festival

    February 18, 2014

Related Links




Recent Comments

  • nkeitht on LA Thunder Dragons
  • Beth on LA Thunder Dragons
  • Blanche Grimes on Oakland Renegades
  • Dawn Wagner on Pleasure Island Dragon Boat Club
  • Jules on Victoria Canoe & Kayak Club

Related Content

More Dragon Boaters Info

Will add links soon

Are you Social?

    • RSS
    • Facebook
    • Feedburner
Our primary mission and purpose is to promote the sport of dragon boating through community involvement and education. © 2019-20 Web Design by InfusionSense all rights reserved.

Some of the images used on this website are copyrighted by others: Keith Taylor International Photography shared their photos, but maintain full copyrights.