

With ice picks as oars, they compete in dragon boat races. On December 22nd, to vigorously promote the Mongolian Horse Spirit and on the occasion of welcoming the "14th National Winter Games", the "Mengma Spirit Cup", the 1st China University Students' Ice Dragon Boat Championship & 2023-2024 Ice Dragon Boat Super League (Xilingol Stop) kicked off. A total of 85 teams with 501 athletes from 18 universities, including Peking University, Zhejiang University, Nankai University, Liaocheng University, and three regions, namely Beijing, Jilin City, and Xilingol League, gathered in Xilinhot City, Xilingol League, presenting excellent "speed and passion" on ice.






Mr. Luo Zhongyi, President of the International Ice Dragon Boat Federation (IIDBF), dotting the eyes of the dragon boats.
The competition is divided into three categories: Men's Group, Women's Group, and Mixed Group. It includes 5-person and 12-person ice dragon boat 100-meter and 200-meter straight-track races, which are held in preliminary, semi-final, and final stages, and 24 championships will be determined. The event is hosted by the China University Sports Association, co-organized by the Xilingol League Bureau of Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Radio and Television, the Xilinhot Municipal Government, and other departments, implemented by the Rowing and Dragon Boat Branch of the China University Sports Association, and operated and promoted by Dalian Qianlong Water Sports Development Co., Ltd.




At the referee's order, each dragon boat rushed out of the starting line like an arrow off the string, chasing each other on the 30-centimeter-thick ice. During the competition, the cheers of the audience resounded through the sky. A hundred ice picks moved in unison, splashing ice shards everywhere. The collision between the ice picks and the ice surface created a battle song, driving the dragon boats to speed across the ice. The ice dragon boat race creatively moves the boat from water to ice, an innovation and extension of the traditional dragon boat sport. It retains the skill and competitiveness of the traditional dragon boat sport, breaks the seasonal limitation of dragon boat sport, and is more full of speed and passion.





The Ice Dragon Boat Super League is held simultaneously after the opening of the University Students' Ice Dragon Boat Championship. This event is jointly held by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province, and Liaoning Province. It sets up seven stops, including Xilingol (Inner Mongolia), Ulagai (Inner Mongolia), Qitaihe (Heilongjiang), Jingpo Lake (Heilongjiang), Jingyu (Jilin), Jinzhou (Liaoning), and Dalian (Liaoning). It attracts ice dragon boat teams from various places to participate, providing a broader platform for ice dragon boat teams in multiple cities. The champions of each stop will compete in the final, and the winning team will win the annual championship.



This competition attracted nearly 10,000 tourists and locals to watch. It enhanced the public's understanding of dragon boat racing, a traditional Chinese custom, and improved the public's patriotism and collectivism, and increased the public's participation and sense of gain. It has formed a good atmosphere of cherishing cultural treasures, advocating scientific fitness, and participating in sports activities.



