Mayor Gong Zheng launches the competition, and the 2023 Shanghai Rowing Open will start paddling on the Suzhou River
In the golden autumn of September, the rowing festival meets Suzhou River again. The 2023 Shanghai Rowing Open will start paddling on the Suzhou River this afternoon. Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng launches the competition.
The slogan of this competition is "Boat Power Tide", which will be held from September 16th to 17th in the Suzhou River area. Rowing athletes from all over the world gather in Shanghai to compete together, promote cultural exchange and popularization of rowing, and work together to help Shanghai build a world-renowned sports city.
This year's competition has been upgraded and expanded, with the addition of elite and youth competitions in addition to the university and club groups, further enhancing professionalism. There are a total of 51 eight person rowing teams, 10 four person rowing teams, and 14 lists of rowing athletes participating, with a total of nearly 700 people. The international influence of this competition has further deepened. By inviting top international athletes to participate, the global attention of the competition has been enhanced, allowing more rowing enthusiasts around the world to see, pay attention to, and fall in love with rowing. It has also allowed Shanghai citizens to see the world's top rowing teams showcase their skills at their doorstep.
Vice Mayor Jie Dong attended the opening ceremony. Christopher Roland, President of the International Rowing Federation, sent a congratulatory video. Tong Lixin, Director of the Water Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Chairman of the China Rowing Association, delivered a speech. National level referee Li Fei and Shanghai Jiao Tong University rowing team Lin Qiming respectively represent all the referees and athletes to take the oath. Representatives of athletes from the Cambridge University Rowing Team, Oxford Brooks University Rowing Team, and Australian National Rowing Team, along with Chinese rowers, bring the water of their respective city rivers, converging and blending to form the English word for rowing.
Shanghai was built and prospered by water, and has an inseparable connection with rowing for over a hundred years. Nowadays, Shanghai is making every effort to build a socialist modern international metropolis with global influence, and "one river, one river" has become a representative space and iconic carrier. The competition focuses the world's attention on the Suzhou River, which helps Shanghai showcase its urban image, character, and spirit to the world, vividly interpreting the important concept of "people's city, people's building, and people's city for the people".
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