"VAN" (Sports Desk - 22.09.2025) :: The 2025 World Rowing Championships were officially opened on Sunday afternoon with a ceremony featuring vibrant musical performances, a parade of nations on water, and a rowing robot.
The ceremony, held on the banks of the Taipu River a short distance from the regatta venue at the Shanghai Water Sports Centre, kicked off with a film introducing robot Ting Ting and his desire to find his place in a sport – rowing.
Ting Ting then took part in a parade of boats on the river, stroking a quadruple scull, while the crowd enjoyed a musical performance by Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and singer Luo Yizhou, backed by a troupe of dancers.
Ma Chunli, the secretary general of the Shanghai Municipal Peoples’ Government, and World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland welcomed athletes and fans to Shanghai. They thanked the organising committee and the hundreds of volunteers involved in making the regatta happen.
Rolland said: “This is a very special moment for all of us as it is the first time that the World Rowing Championships at elite level are held in China. We were meant to be here in 2021 but the pandemic forced cancellation.
“Today, four years later we are truly delighted to finally be here in this vibrant and dynamic city. Shanghai has a close and longstanding bond with rowing. In October 1859 foreign enthusiastics organised China’s first regatta on the Suzhou creek, making Shanghai the cradle of Chinese rowing. With such a proud tradition Shanghai is a perfect stage to welcome the world’s best athletes.”
Ma said: “May every athlete ride the waves with passion, strive for excellence, and write a new chapter in the history of rowing.”
Rolland and the mayor of Shanghai, His Excellency Gong Chen, declared the regatta officially open before the final act of the ceremony – the official song of the 2025 World Rowing Championships, a “theme song for rowing and tribute to all the dream-chasers” competing.
The song was performed by drummers, dancers with blades and flags, and singer Wang Yaoqing, the catchy tune featuring the chorus “Row, row, row, we are the future now.”
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