Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision-makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Thomas Konietzko is the President of the International Canoe Federation (ICF). The article reflects the authors' opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

China's sport is now on the fast track of development. Through our network of 171 national federations, we unite millions of paddlers around the world, and China is one of the best canoe federations in the world.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Chinese canoe athletes pocketed one gold and two silvers, the first time Team China managed to take three canoe medals in a single Olympics. There is a great improvement in Chinese paddles, and I'm optimistic about the potential and development of China in the future in these games.

China's vast territory contains abundant water resources. As the passion for sports and health rises among the Chinese, the beauty and the diversity of the canoe attract many people to get involved in this sport. The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has 10 disciplines and one of them is dragon boat. Besides, the canoe-kayak sprint and canoe-kayak slalom, also the Olympic program, attract the most public attention.

It's well-known that the dragon boats started the triumph of marching around the world from China. ICF has organized dragon boat races around the world and we hope to bring Chinese culture closer to the people around the world.

Dragon boat sport not only signals the spirit of the Chinese, it has also become a culture of the ICF. In June, we organized the 2023 International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Cup races in Yichang, Hubei Province. Crews from different countries like the U.S., Iran, India, Tanzania, and Zambia have joined, highlighting the global appeal of dragon boat racing. It's a unique experience to organize a dragon boat race in China because we can see this ancient sport is rejuvenating in the new era and the Chinese spirit is passed on from generation to generation.

Many of our 171 national federations are now also organizing dragon boat races around the world. I think dragon boat is more than a sport, for it's a way of life. Dragon boat sport can be the best ambassador for China's culture. This special spirit is for kids and adults to get involved in a group sport that can not only be high-performance but also may be recreational.

It was a milestone to have a dragon boat race as a demonstration in Tokyo during our Olympic events. However, we still need to work together to promote our sport around the world. I believe the ICF and Chinese authorities and other federations will work together to convince the International Olympic Committee to consider accepting dragon boats as an Olympic sport.

In the past, unfortunately, most of our big canoe competitions took place in Europe. We want to bring more competitions to Asia and also other continents. China has the strength to organize large sports events. We look forward to working with China to make canoe sports more popular.

The 19th Asian Games is soon to kick off in September in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. I went to Hangzhou in March and I was honored to see the breathtaking scenery of venues equipped with complete facilities, I also learned more approaches to the professional preparation of Hangzhou organizers.

It's obvious that we will experience great and exciting competitions in Hangzhou, one of the best venues I have ever seen in the world. And I could learn that each of the organizers who are involved in the preparation completely contributed from the bottom of their hearts and that will help athletes to enjoy the atmosphere there. I sincerely believe that the Hangzhou Asian Games will be the sports event highlight of Asia in 2023 and will become one of the best-ever Asian Games in history.