2025 Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival Grand Opening A Taiwan Brand International Sporting Event Co-created by the Ministry of Sports and Hualien County
Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Sports (MOS), Cheng Shih-Chung, attended the opening ceremony and welcome reception of the “2025 Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival”, held on October 24 at Hualien Stadium. He joined Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-Wei and Mr. Claudio Schermi, President of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), in welcoming nearly 200 teams from 12 countries to Hualien to participate in this high-profile Taiwan brand international sporting event.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister Cheng stated that building Taiwan-branded international sporting events is a priority of the MOS. Integrating sporting events with local tourism, markets, culture, and unique landscapes, and further combining technology, academia, agriculture, and diplomacy, through cross-sector value enhancement and inter-agency collaboration Taiwan can showcase its all-round strengths. This approach will diversify international sporting events, expand participation both domestically and internationally, drive the upgrading of Taiwan’s sports industry, and enhance Taiwan’s visibility and international influence.
This year marks the 9th edition of the Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival. The event was held from October 24 to 26 at Liyu Lake in Shoufeng Township. Incorporating Hualien’s distinctive mountain and coastal scenery, culture, and tourism, the festival attracted top domestic and international dragon boat teams. This year’s event also served as a test event for the “2026 IDBF Club Crew World Championships (CCWC)”, helping to prepare for next year’s world-class dragon boat event.
The MOS noted that, in addition to hosting the CCWC next year, Hualien County Government has also secured the hosting right for the “2026 International Children’s Games (ICG)”. The annual Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival is one of the model examples of Taiwan-branded sporting events. The MOS will continue to encourage local governments to organize international sports events that reflect Taiwan’s brand identity, assist cross-sector value enhancement, strengthen event impact, and promote the development of related industries.