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Editor's Report

Submitted by Louise Granahan.  Well, it certainly has been a busy time for breast cancer paddlers around the world!You will notice that there are a few articles about the World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. This is the first time that breast cancer teams have been able to participate in this event, mainly due to the tireless efforts of Meri Gibson.Just a few weeks prior to Worlds, the Pan Ams took place in Montreal, Québec, Canada. I was so fortunate to be able to attend this...

Rotary International DB Fellowship Opportunity

Submitted by Toby Bothel.  Are you a BCS Dragon Boat paddler AND a member of Rotary International?Is your Dragon Boat team sponsored or supported by a Rotary International Club?I am the founder or Pura Vida Dragon Rosa, the first dragon boat team in Costa Rica. We welcome Breast Cancer Survivors and all other female cancer survivors. I am also a member of Rotary Club Garabito/Playa Jaco in Costa Rica.I would like to start an International Rotary Fellowship for BCS Dragon Boat paddlers....

Aix-les-Bains

The Dragon Boat Festival 2025 from 27-29 June 2025 was not just the test run for the big IBCPC Festival 2026 in this location – but also the very first appearance of the brand new Pink Ribbonettes Team from Belgium in competition mood. The Belgium breast cancer paddlers merged forces and will participate in the Festival 2026 together with some friends from France.And what a weekend it was! Within one race day, the paddlers grew from a “group of paddlers” to a real team. Already after the f...

More News from Germany

This year´s German National Championships near Halle an der Saale felt very special for many BCP, as the German breast cancer paddling community is growing but also coming closer together! In June, teams from Berlin, Halle/Leipzig, Hannover and Wolfsburg met on the Osendorfer Lake to paddle for the German trophys. Many also came to prepare for the 17th IDBF World Championships scheduled less than a month later. While competing on the water, the teams met after the races celebrating life with ...

Dallas United Crew

Submitted by Rachel Rossler.  This year marks a special milestone for Dallas United Crew PINK—our 10th anniversary as a breast cancer survivor dragon boat team. What began as a small group of women coming together for strength and connection has grown into a decade-long journey of resilience, camaraderie, and movement with meaning. Over the past ten years, we've trained together, raced together, and supported one another through the highs and lows of survivorship. As we reflect on ho...

Abreast In A Boat Marks 30 Years

Submitted by Debbie Mills, Communications Chair, Abreast In A Boat.  A Milestone EventAbreast In A Boat turns 30!  To celebrate this milestone, we invited the breast cancer paddling world to Vancouver, where it all began.  And came they did!  We welcomed 28 teams from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Latin America to join our 6 crews as well as many alumni and supporters.It was a memorable weekend packed with camaraderie, competition and reflection.�...

Pan Am Club Crew Championships

Submitted by Louise Granahan.  “Hi, I’m 11.”“Hi, I’m 61.”That’s how Rosalie (a pseudonym) and I introduced ourselves. Rosalie is the delightful daughter of one of the amazing Vise-à-Vie paddlers that I met in Montréal at the Pan Am Club Crew Championships in July, 2025. Rosalie and I had some great conversations in the team tent, and I really enjoyed her company.When I found out that my home team wasn’t going to attend the Pan Ams in Montréal, I was heartbroken. But ...

Latinoamerica in Rosa

In December 2024 the we received news of the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, tobe held in Vancouver in June 2025.On this occasion, the breast cancer teams were invited to participate in the Festival, and we are  obviously excited about the idea of competing in this very important event.For different reasons, South American countries were unable to bring together a delegation of 22 participants. It is then that Adriana Bartoli, Latin American representative of groups of women who have ...

Dragonboat Festival Hanover 2025

Submitted by Christina (Pink Dragonistas Hannover).  This year Hannover welcomed 10 breast cancer standard boat teams for the fourth breast cancer cup as part of the 29th festival edition of our ,Drachenbootfestival Hannover` on Pentecost weekend. Again, we welcomed mostly BCP composite teams from different German clubs – with some paddlers experiencing their first regatta ever -, but also a Pink Royals team & friends formed of paddlers from Great Britain, but also Austria, Belgi...

USA Milestones

Submitted by Annette Johnson, USA Regional Coordinator.  Congratulations to the following USA BCP teams celebrating milestones in the 2025 paddling season.25 yearsHope Chest - Getzville, New York 20 yearsFighting Angels Abreast - Ft. Dodge IowaMaking Waves - Rochester, MinnesotaDragon Divas of Minnesota are celebrating their 20th Anniversary15 yearsAnnapolis Dragon Boat Foundation - Annapolis, Maryland10 yearsLighthouse Dragons - Juno Beach, FloridaThe Unsinkables - Salem, OregonDallas...

Dragons Abreast Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine 13/7/25.  By Sue Williams, Photos Brent Lewin.  JULY 11, 2025.  'Go us! Look at what we can do!' The water sport empowering breast cancer survivorsThe ancient sport of dragon boat racing is breathing a new spirit of joy and camaraderie into these paddlers' lives.It was her first dragon boat race that broke her. As Rose Glassock slipped her paddle into the water, bent forward and pulled it through the swell, in perfect ...

Update from Austria

By Svenja Franke-Bruhn, Country Liaison Austria.  The Vienna Pink Dragons have enjoyed a dynamic and exciting first half of the year, participating in paddling events across Austria and beyond.We kicked off the year in January with a special trip: Julia, our current president, and I (Svenja) flew to Florida to attend the Unleash the Dragons Festival & Leadership Camp. It was a truly enriching experience—full of learning, laughter, and camaraderie. A personal highlight was meeting...

Pink Royals in Hanover

Pink Royals went a bit European and we had a half English boat from various UK teams joined by ladies from Austria, Germany and Belgium.We were very much at home with the bad weather in Germany.We raced BCP 250m races and a 2000m race which was a great battle.A great opportunity for some of the Great Britain BCP national team to paddle together in preparation for Bradenburg.Pink Dragonistas Hannover hosted a great party on the Friday for the BCP crews.It was great meeting up with special friends...

Vogalonga 2025

Submitted by IBCPC Representative for Germany, Svenja Franke-Bruhn.  Vogalonga: a long-standing favourite among European paddling events! For the 49th time, it drew teams, rowers, and paddlers from across Europe—and even from distant corners of the world, such as Australia.As the IBCPC Representative for Germany, I was thrilled to support my second home team, the TVK Pink Dragons from Essen, during their preparations, but due to personal reasons, I had to withdraw shortly before...

2025 Breast Cancer Flower Ceremony

Submitted by Brenda Hochachka.  Welcome to Vancouver and to the waters of False Creek where we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Abreast In A Boat.  The story of the flower ceremony began in 1996 at our inaugural race.Before leaving for that 1st race, I noticed that a 20- year- old climbing rose bush in my garden was covered with small fuchsia flowers, enough for each paddler on our boat.  As we pulled toward the dock after our race, there was a pause in our paddling and our ...

Join the IBCPC Team!

Expression of Interest – Director, Marketing and Global Sponsorship (Voluntary Position).  The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) is seeking applications for the position of Director: Marketing and Global Sponsorship. This is a vital role within the IBCPC, is aimed at promoting and supporting the development, participation, and recognition of breast cancer paddlers (BCP) in the sport of dragon boat paddling at all levels.The Director will work closely with the...

Introducing Fiona Slevin

The IBCPC board would like to sincerely thank Marion Egan for her contribution as national representative for Ireland. Marion has chosen to stand down because of her busy schedule. We are extremely lucky to welcome as the new representative for Ireland, Fiona Slaven. We know that Ireland will be in very good hands with Fiona looking after them as she has already given us some ideas in terms of development and growth. Fiona’s bio is below. ….I am a member of the Plurabelle Paddlers which is...

Latinoamérica en Rosa

Submitted by Floribeth Campos.  With great joy and deep pride, we are thrilled to share that, for the first time ever, a Latin American composite team was formed to participate in the Concor Pacific Dragon Boat Festival held this past June in Vancouver, Canada.Our team, called “Latinoamérica en Rosa”, brought together courageous breast cancer survivors from across our region — a dream made possible thanks to the vision and initiative of Adriana Bartoli, who years ago began to pl...

17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Championships

Submitted by Linda Kuska.   Look at how far the Breast Cancer Paddler (BCP) Division has come since it started 30 years ago in Vancouver! When I started dragon boating in 1999, we were widely accepted in community festivals but now BCP teams and paddlers can be whatever they want to be and be accepted in all levels of competition. On December 21, 2024, IDBF sent out Bulletin 1 in preparation for the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany and BCP was ...

President's Report

Across Borders, Beyond Waters: Reflections on My Recent TravelsA Journey of Discovery, Connection, and Inspiration for the IBCPC CommunityThe world unfurls itself in unexpected ways when viewed from the window of a plane, the deck of a ferry, or the rhythm of a new city’s streets. As a paddler and member of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) community, my recent travels took me across continents and cultures, weaving together the threads of camaraderie, resilience, ...

News from Germany

We made history! For the first time ever, a BCP category was added to the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel! We can‘t thank our IBCPC president Meri Gibson and Ute Becker-Frenzel, the president of the German Dragonboat Federation (Deutscher Drachenbootverband) enough for making a pink dream come true!BCP Team Germany was formed joining paddlers from across the country, who met in Hannover, Wolfsburg and Berlin-Grünau for training camps to prepare for...

Vienna Pink Dragons

Submitted by Svenja Franke-Bruhn, National Representative Germany & Country Liaison Austria.  The introduction of the Breast Cancer Paddler (BCP) category at the 17th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships was a truly special moment—an opportunity to share the joy with friends and many familiar faces from the pink paddling community around the world. The atmosphere along the Beetzsee regatta course was extraordinary, as we cheered on a total of ten breast cancer teams f...

Dragons on the Falkirk Wheel

Submitted by Pauline Doyle.  After months of planning and permission requests, the date finally arrived when Port Edgar Dragons could move their small boat Emma to the Falkirk Wheel Basin in readiness for the challenge to paddle from The Falkirk Wheel to Fountainbridge and back to Bridge 8, a total of 35 miles or 56.3kms. Taking in the Falkirk wheel, the only rotating lift bridge in the world, two locks, two tunnels including the Falkirk Tunnel the longest canal tunnel in Scotland, bu...

Paddle Design Contest

Submit your artwork for IBCPC’s Paddle Design Contest. We will select up to 3 winning designs! Paddles will be available for sale through IBCPC’s partnership with Hornet Watersports.GuidelinesCreate artwork for one side of the paddle blade. We will put the IBCPC logo on the other side.Designs must measure 11”x3” (28cmx7.5cm). Only Vector images may be submitted.You may submit up to 2 designs.Do not reference the France Festival.All designs must be your own original artwork. You may not s...

IDBF Chart

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