Beihai News, October 22 — With 54 days remaining before the opening of the 13th Belt and Road International Day (Silkworm God’s Day) and the Global Chinatown Belt and Road New Year Celebration, the welcome gala and opening ceremony of the 2026 Belt and Road International Sailing Regatta was grandly held in the Central Hall of Silver Beach No.1 International Conference Center Hotel in Beihai. Chen Entian, Chairman of the Silk Road International Chamber Alliance and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Global Chinatown Belt and Road New Year Celebration, sent a congratulatory letter to mark the official opening of this year’s regatta.
The Belt and Road International Sailing Regatta was jointly founded in 2019 by the Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the People’s Government of Beihai Municipality, and has been successfully held for seven editions so far. This eighth edition draws 22 teams from the United States, Russia, Singapore, Australia and other countries and regions to compete in Beihai. Li Quanhai, President of World Sailing; Liang Jianbo, Deputy Director of the Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Pan Juan, Mayor of Beihai Municipal People’s Government; Li Huangxun, Director of Major Events Office under the Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Pang Yuanqiong, Director of Beihai Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture and Sports, together with other distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony.
The regatta will run from October 23 to 25 for three days, featuring two competition categories: inshore races and long-distance races. It receives full support from relevant functional departments of Beihai, the People’s Government of Yinhai District and various service guarantee units. Taking this sailing event as a link, Beihai will further integrate the event with tourism and consumption industries, amplify the comprehensive driving effect of the regatta, build a platform for mutual learning among international sailors, and write a new chapter in sports exchanges along the Maritime Silk Road.
In his letter, Chen Entian stressed that sailing symbolises maritime civilisation and the spirit of openness, while the Maritime Silk Road has served since ancient times as a vital route connecting China and the world. Bringing sailors from multiple nations together, this Belt and Road International Sailing Regatta takes sails as messenger and the sea as a bridge, which resonates deeply with the vision of Belt and Road connectivity. He expressed the hope that the regatta will not only showcase the charm of sailing, but also strengthen friendship among participants from different countries, deepen non-governmental sports and cultural exchanges among Belt and Road partner countries, and add a splendid marine landscape to the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
