GAISF council confirms IDBF as world governing body for dragon boating

29 December 2006 - Both the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the International Canoe Federation (ICF) have been notified by the Director General of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) that the GAISF Council, at its October 2006 meeting, approved the re-submission of the IDBF Application for GAISF Membership to the 2007 GAISF General Assembly, which will be held on 27 April 2007 in Beijing.

The GAISF Council also reconfirmed that the IDBF has met all the criteria for GAISF Membership as the autonomous Federation for the sport of Dragon Boating and thus ratified their view that Dragon Boating and Canoeing are two separate sports.

The IDBF respects the autonomy of other sports and seeks to establish good working relations with all other paddle sport federations. With regard to liaison with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) IDBF acknowledges that the ICF is the only paddle sports federation accepted at this time by the IOC.

The IDBF asks all international federations; national governing bodies of sport and sports authorities to acknowledge and respect the status and standing of the IDBF as the International Federation for Dragon Boat Sport and also and that of the IDBF Members, in their own governance of Dragon Boating at national and territorial level.

The GAISF Council decisions follow the 2003 ICF agreement that the IDBF is the autonomous International Federation for Dragon Boating and the 2005 decision of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) that Dragon Boating in Asia is governed by the ADBF, the IDBF Continental Federation. ADBF is the OCA member federation for Dragon Boat Sport.

All those associated with Dragon Boating are asked to respect the positions of the OCA and the GAISF Council and to support the IDBF in its aims and objectives for the governance and future development of this unique water sport.

Mike Haslam
IDBF Executive President