Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On June 19, 2026, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships, joining foreign ambassadors and representatives in Taiwan, members of the Taipei City Government, and participating teams in officially launching the annual dragon boat racing event. During the event, Chiang noted that this year’s competition has attracted 223 teams and more than 5,000 athletes from Taiwan and other countries, making it one of the largest editions of the event to date. He also wished the competition a great success and encouraged all participating teams to perform at their best and achieve outstanding results.

Mayor Chiang noted that the Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships continue to attract many teams that have participated over the years, including the Xuyuan Dragon Boat Team, which has long promoted dragon boat culture, and student teams from Nangang Senior High School and Aletheia University. He also mentioned that this event brings together teams of diverse nationalities, ages, and backgrounds, such as the Rainbow Punch Dragon Boat Team, which is the largest LGBTQ+ dragon boat team in Asia, and the SBeauty Dragon Boat Team, which comprises women aged 50 years or older. Together, these teams reflect Taipei’s identity as a diverse, inclusive, and open city.

Mayor Chiang added that this year’s competition expanded the Evergreen Women’s Division to 11 teams, making the championships an event in which people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds could participate. Following the event, it received Gold Awards at both the MUSE Creative Awards and the TITAN Innovation Awards, showcasing Taipei’s local traditional culture to the world.

The championships also attracted many international participants, with teams formed by foreign representative offices and associations in Taiwan, including the Netherlands Office Taipei’s Dutch Dragon Flyer, the British Office Taipei’s BritBoys and Brits, the American Institute in Taiwan’s AIT Dragon Boat Team, Team AO Australia, and Team Europe. These entities’ participation contributed to the excitement of the event and highlighted Taipei’s ongoing efforts to strengthen city-to-city exchanges and international ties through dragon boat racing.

Before attending the opening ceremony, Mayor Chiang visited the Netherlands Office Taipei booth, where he met with Dutch Representative Bas Pulles and Australian Deputy Representative Dan Stuart and engaged in cordial discussions. At the ceremony venue, he also greeted a number of distinguished guests, including American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office Lutz Güllner, Australian Representative Robert Fergusson, and British Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones.