Deep Dive Global Canal Rowing Action Concludes World Tour With Fruitful Achievements

Covering more than 100 cities in five continents in more than one year, the Deep Dive Global Canal Rowing Action concluded its last leg of the world tour with a global rowing relay in around 20 cities worldwide recently, highlighted the action with fruitful achievements.

"On the same day, we held great celebrations both in Yangzhou, a major city along the ancient China's Grand Canal, and in Cairo, one of the most famous cities along the Nile, the longest river worldwide," said Feng Nan, president of Deep Dive Sports and Health of China and the organizer of the action. "The two cities thousands of kilometers apart, together with other cities participated and witnessed the successful action, making a clear sign that action has won wide endorsement."

The Deep Dive Action, initially co-organized by the World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO), an international organization headquartered in Yangzhou, and the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation (SFIEC) of China, is aiming to promote the idea of sports, health and environmental protection by holding rowing events in canal cities around the world.

"It's a milestone in the history of rowing. It's also a great worldwide environmental awareness campaign," Feng stressed.

Starting from China's Grand Canal in September 2021, the campaign has been held successfully on the Potomac River in Washington, the Thames in London, the Seine in Paris, the Donau in Vienna, etc., attracting more than 2,000 international paddlers.

Jean-Christophe Rolland, World Rowing Federation president, highly praised the event. "More important was the powerful message carried out by this mission, which connected and inspired the rowing family to make a difference in this regard," he stated in a signed letter.

At a side event held in Sharm El-Sheikh during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), Rolland also delivered his appreciation especially to Wang Shi, honorary president of Asian Rowing Federation and the action's team leader, "It is great to see your incredible environmental advocacy, initiated during your presidency at the Asian Rowing Federation, and continuing since."

"The action connected different cities and different cultures, and raised environmental awareness of many people under the slogan of ?zero carbon, zero waste and clean water'," Feng added, "A new plan of the campaign for the next year is in the pipeline."