The 2024 International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Cup is returning to Zigui County, Yichang, as national teams and clubs will compete in open, women and mixed groups in eight and 10-seater boats.
Set to run from Friday to Sunday, this year's World Cup is extra special as national teams can win two quota spots for the Chengdu 2025 World Games.
The timing of the World Cup is apt for athletes, with the 2024 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships running from October 31 to November 3 in Puerto Princesa, where the remaining 10 team quota places for The World Games will be up for grabs.
Teams in the 10-seater boat must race in the mixed team 200m, 500m and 2000m events and two teams with the highest overall points across all three events will seal a Chengdu 2025 quota place in Yichang.
One quota place is reserved for the host nation China. The World Cup in Yichang will also be offering additional prize money totalling close to €100,000.
The Host Organising Committee will support up to 20 people per team to cover their local transportation, meals and accommodation, meaning athletes only need to arrive with their paddle.
A total of 16 teams have registered for the World Cup in Yichang, of which 10 of them are national teams. They are Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iran, Macao, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) and hosts China.
China have entered two club teams as well while there is one club team each from AIN, Germany, Guam, and Philippines.
China topped the medals table in the 2023 edition of the World Cup with 10 golds while the local Zigui team came second with four.
Iran was the only other nation to win gold while India and Philippines won two silver and four bronze medals, respectively.
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