Shanghai begins countdown to world rowing event and regatta

The countdown ceremony for the 2025 World Rowing Championships and the launch of the 2024 Head of the Shanghai River Regatta were held along the Suzhou Creek on Thursday. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

The countdown ceremony for the 2025 World Rowing Championships and the launch of the 2024 Head of the Shanghai River Regatta were held along the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai on Thursday, marking the initiation of the 360-day countdown to the championships and celebrating the upcoming regatta scheduled for the weekend.

"This is a milestone not just for Shanghai but also for China and, indeed, the rest of the world, given the expected resonance of the two important events that we are gathering for this evening," said Vincent Gaillard, executive director of World Rowing.

Xu Bin, director general of Shanghai Administration of Sports, said, "Born and prospered by water, Shanghai possesses its unique advantages in developing water sports. The open, innovative and inclusive urban character of Shanghai echoes well with the passionate, stylish, and elegant nature of rowing."

Rowing was first introduced to China from Shanghai in 1849, and it wasn't until 2021 that this city hosted its own rowing event— the Head of Shanghai River Regatta on the Suzhou Creek, known as Shanghai's mother river.

In 2022, Shanghai successfully secured the bid to host the 2025 World Rowing Championships, marking the first time the world's premier rowing event will be held in China. The championships will take place at the Shanghai Aquatic Sports Center from Sept 21 to 28, 2025.

Aligned with the theme "Rowing Beyond Boundaries," the 2024 Head of the Shanghai River Regatta is set to take place from Sept 28 to 29 along the Suzhou Creek.

This year's regatta has attracted a total of 41 octuple sculls, 11 quadruple sculls, and 16 single sculls, with approximately 650 participants signed up across various categories.

In addition to the elite, college, and club categories, the event has introduced the teenager and sponsor groups to participate in the 500-meter city sprint race.

The elite games will feature the rowing teams of the University of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes University, as well as the Australian national rowing team and the Great Britain national rowing team.

The college category includes 11 rowing teams from universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, while the teenager group consists of five rowing teams, including the rowing teams of Shanghai High School and YK Pao School.

This year's competition schedule has been adjusted, moving the city sprint race to the first day and the 4.2-kilometer chase set for Sunday.

The course itself is also a highlight of the event, offering both challenges and opportunities with 13 bridge arches and several tricky turns, passing by notable urban landmarks such as Sihang Warehouse, Shanghai Head Post Office, and Shanghai Rowing Club.

Furthermore, two outdoor viewing points have been set along the Suzhou Creek — the Cherry Blossom Valley viewing point and the Bellagio Shanghai riverside viewing point. Citizens can reserve their spots at these locations through the event's official WeChat mini-program. The reservation channel is now officially open.