OTTAWA -- The first World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships (WCCIC) of International Ice Dragon Boat Federation (IIDBF) was held Saturday in Dows Lake, Ottawa.

Altogether 125 teams are competing during the championships, a main part of the 2019 Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival, against a temperature as low as -16 C in the presence of thousands of people.

The teams are from Britain, Canada, China, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Ukraine and the United States.

"It has really become one of the largest and the most appealing winter events in the world," said Chinese Ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye, adding that cultural exchange leads to deep contact between countries and peoples.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa has been supporting the serial championships since its inception in 2017.