WUC Rowing opens to cultural flair in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — The opening ceremony of 2018 FISU World University Rowing Championship kicked off at Oriental Land Theatre in Shanghai Water Sports Center in Dianshan Lake where 16 events will take place from the 9-12 August. A total of 397 athletes and officials from 23 countries and regions are set to compete in China’s most populous city. A traditional university sport, the 16^th edition of WUC Rowing is taking place outside Europe for the first time.

This rowing championship is hosted by FISU, organized by the Federation of University Sport of China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and co-organized by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Shanghai Administration of Sports, Shanghai Minhang District People’s Government and Shanghai Qingpu District People’s Government.

The event opened in classic FISU flair, first with flagmen from the 23 teams entering alongside their respective flags before the athlete representatives and referees took an oath of honour to fair-play and sportsmanship. After the raising of the FISU flag and the People’s Republic of China flag at the venue the cultural performance took over – and it didn’t disappoint. The performance in Shanghai played on the dragon and water imagery to tell a story – one of how happy the locals are to have friends come from afar that was rich with Chinese visual elements and cultural connotations. Chinese drums, Peking opera, pipa, erhu, dragon and lion dance, as well as the creative multimedia presentations added to the immersive storytelling experience.

Competitions get underway on Friday, 10 August. Check out the official event programme here. Download the Day 1 startlist here. Results can be found here.