Wei Zhaohui chairs the coordination meeting on the 2026 ICF Dragon Boat World Cup (Yuanling) (Photo by Wu Tao/Huaihua Daily)
On the morning of September 3, Wei Zhaohui, secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, chaired a coordination meeting on the 2026 ICF Dragon Boat World Cup (Yuanling). She stressed the need to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on tourism, to strengthen the sense of responsibility as host, and to make meticulous, high-quality and efficient preparations, so as to ensure the successful holding of the event. Gao Jingsheng, deputy secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and acting mayor, and He Zunqing, deputy secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, attended the meeting.
At the meeting, participants heard reports on the preparation progress, discussed solutions to the difficulties and bottlenecks in the current work, and made arrangements for the next steps.
Wei noted that the cultural exploration program (a journey through Huaihua led by renowned scholar Meng Man) had made Yuanling an internet sensation, showcasing to the outside world the city’s understated yet profound historical and cultural heritage. Building on that momentum, the ICF Dragon Boat World Cup is the highest-level dragon boat racing competition worldwide and the most prestigious and far-reaching international sporting event Huaihua will host this year. It will be a perfect opportunity to improve Huaihua’s profile. All municipal departments and relevant government bodies at both the city and county levels should further strengthen coordination to maximize the event’s spillover benefits.
Wei also emphasized that safety must come first in organizing the event. Efforts should focus on safety during the race, food safety and public order management, with comprehensive screening to identify and eliminate potential risks, refined contingency plans, and full-scale emergency drills covering every process, so as to create a safe and stable environment for the event. The event should be well-designed to showcase the appeal of dragon boat racing. It should be made economical, keeping firmly to a frugal approach, raising the level of market-based operation, and resolutely avoiding vanity projects, so that the event is run in a simple, pragmatic and efficient manner. Efforts should be made to turn the buzz generated by the event into tangible gains: the cultural connotations of dragon boat racing and ethnic culture should be fully explored, the development of distinctive cultural and creative products accelerated, and a batch of down-to-earth, easily shareable literary and artistic works rolled out, so that the attention the event attracts translates into retained consumption and fresh momentum for development. Publicity and promotion should be strengthened, with well-coordinated communication at home and abroad and a full-cycle publicity plan covering the pre-event, in-event and post-event stages; international communication should be enhanced to present the splendor of the event and the image of Huaihua in a comprehensive, multi-dimensional way. Organizational leadership should be strengthened, with a sound organizational structure, a refined overall plan, and well-coordinated arrangements for guest reception and volunteer services, so as to raise the city’s event hosting capabilities.
Gao Jingsheng called for resolutely guarding the bottom line of safety, fully fulfilling safety responsibilities, refining and improving emergency response plans, and implementing all safeguard measures down to the last detail, so as to ensure that the event is held safely, smoothly and in an orderly manner.
(Translated by Yang Hong)