SANCA brings major dragon boat racing event to Sarasota

The Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates (SANCA), the U.S. Dragon Boat Federation and Visit Sarasota County earned the right to host the 2022 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

SANCA made the announcement Thursday night.

Those entities met with International Dragon Boat Federation officials in August during the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Pattaya, Thailand to present the bid for the event. The 2020 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships will be held in Aix-les-Bains, France.

Sarasota's bid was selected over finalists Hungary and Canada. The 2018 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships drew 6,200 participants to Szeged, Hungary.

“Hosting this world championship has an impact that goes beyond just economic benefit,” said SANCA President and CEO Stephen Rodriguez in a release. “This will impact the sport of dragon boat racing in our state and nationwide. We are prepared to invest more resources into our local dragon boat programming to prepare for this event. We thank IDBF for their confidence in awarding this event to Sarasota County.”

Andrew Szymanski, the USDBF’s president, said the national federation is thrilled to host the world’s best teams in Sarasota.

“This world-class venue and its facilities are ideally suited for these championships, and we are confident Nathan Benderson Park will exceed expectations in every category,” he said in a release. “We are excited to begin the next phase of planning for this incredible event.”

Sarasota also earned the right to host the 2021 U.S. Dragon Boat Federation National Championships.