National Team

Auroras

The Auroras are Australia's National Dragon Boating Team. Australia competes strongly on the international stage at World Championship events which take place biennially. We also compete in the Asian Dragon Boat Championships every other year, as well as in the World Cup. The Auroras are one of Australia's few sporting elite that get to compete in mixed crews right up to the very top level. There are also national teams right through from juniors to Seniors.

The ‘Auroras’ is a unique label and joins other national team brands as a powerful sporting identity. In 2010 the Australian Dragon Boat Federation (AusDBF) unveiled the first national team to be open to paddlers from all states and territories, following a move away from the state-based selection system of previous international campaigns. To mark the occasion, AusDBF asked the Australian paddling community to submit their suggestion for a team name that would become our national crews identity. The paddlers selected for the 2010 Asian Championships cast a secret ballot to select the new name.

The Auroras was adopted for our national team, and has been embraced by the Australian Dragon Boat community. It is a unique label, and joins other national team brands like the Wallabies, Opals, Socceroos, and Matildas as a powerful sporting national identity.

IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships

- Australian Flag Bearers and Australian Team Captains (first appointed 2008)

Year	Event No.	Location	Flag Bearer	Team Captain	Vice captain
2025	17th	Brandenburg, Germany
2023	16th	Pattaya, Thailand	Eliza Abel (VIC) & Lily Sampson (NSW) - Indigenous Flag Bearer	Laura Hughes (WA) & Chris Mills (ACT)
2021	15th	Hong Kong, China
2019	14th	Pattaya, Thailand	Blair Gamble (QLD) & Karen Brown (NSW) - Indigenous Flag Bearers	Kylie Hawker (ACT) & Marcio Martins (NSW)
2017	13th	Divonne, France (Juniors + U24) and Kunming, China (Premiers + Seniors)	Jennifer Reilly (VIC), Rachel Phillips (NSW) & Matilda Slater-Phillips (NSW)	Eliza Campbell (VIC) & Bryan Buttery (SA)	Abbie Ryan (ACT) & Carrie Edgar (NSW) - Juniors & U24
2015	12th	Welland, Canada	Georgina Wakim (VIC) & Larissa Woosup (ACT)	Paul Langley (QLD)	Melissa O'Brien (VIC)
2013	11th	Szeged, Hungary	Joanne Petterson (NSW)	Frank Calcara (NSW)	Georgina Wakim (VIC)
2011	10th	Tampa, USA	Diana Dent (NSW)	Michael Fogliani (ACT)	Janelle Gamble (QLD)
2009	9th	Prague, Czech Republic	Roula Bland (QLD)	Darren Ma (NSW)	Janelle Gamble & Cynthia Kuiper
2007	8th	Sydney, Australia	Ian Peters (QLD
2005	7th	Berlin, Germany	Chris Moran (NSW) & Amanda Wyllie (NSW)
2004	6th	Shanghai, China	Linda Ng (NSW)
2003	5th	Poznan, Poland	Melanie Cantwell (NSW)
2001	4th	Philadelphia, USA	Barry Young (QLD)
1999	3rd	Nottingham, UK	Kylie Bade-Peters (QLD)

Asian Dragon Boat Championships

- Australian Flag Bearers and Team Captains

Year	Location	Flag Bearer	Captain	Vice Captain
2024	Hong Kong, China	Karen Anderson	Daniel Foucar (WA) / Estella Ferri (VIC)
2022	Pattaya, Thailand	Daniel Foucar (WA)	Andy Almenara (NSW) / Emily Mason (VIC)
2018	Foshan City, China	Rowena Coghill (QLD)	Amir Yadegari VIC) / Emily Mason (VIC)
2016	Adelaide, Australia	Allison Burgess (SA)	Jarrod Whitwell (VIC)	Inga Davis (NT)
2014	Macau, SAR China	Karen Morris (VIC)	Georgina Wakim (VIC)	Marcio Martins (NSW)
2012	Busan, Korea	Karen Hall (NSW)	Claire Hosegood (NSW)	Bryan Buttery (SA) & Georgina Wakim (VIC)
2010	Wujin, China	Geoff Eldridge (NSW)	Michael Fogliani (ACT)	Richard Balkin (VIC) & Michelle Chim (NSW)
2008	Penang, Malaysia	Steven Davidson (NSW)	George Louie (NSW)	Mathew Roberts (NSW) & Tina Bain (ACT)
2006	Macau, SAR China	Jenny Petterson (NSW)
2004	Mian Yang, China	Janine Lette (QLD)

World Cup - Australian Flag Bearers and Team Captains

Year	Event No.	Location	Flag Bearer	Captain	Vice Captain
2024	5th	Miluo River, China	Karen Anderson	Daniel Foucar (WA) / Estella Ferri (VIC)
2021	4th	Monaco
2018	3rd	Chongqing, China
2016	2nd	Wujin, China		Eliza Campbell
2014	1st	Fuzhou, China	Claire Hosegood (NSW)	Georgia Wakim (VIC)	Marcio Martins (NSW)