Competition

On May 9th 2026 the CanAm International Championships was home to the 5th annual Dragon and Lion Dance International Championship.  This year the competition represented the first officially sanctioned event with a Team Selection Component for Canadian teams to officially compete at International events.  The competition received acknolwedgment from the Prime Minsters Office, the Premier of BC and Minister of Tourism and Sport, the Mayor of the City of Richmond and from the International Dragon and Lion Dance Federation.

This years event was host to multiple events with competitors from across Canada and abroad.  32 competitor teams took part in Traditional Dragon and Lion Dance events, junior events, and skill based events like the obstacle race.  This marks the single largest dragon and lion dance competition ever held in Canada.
The entire event co-organized by the Dragon and Lion Dance Association of BC and the Dragon Lion Cultural Sports Association of Canada ran over 3 days.  Starting Friday with a Judges session, and a Coach/Judge meeting and lot drawing.  Saturday held the competition in the excellent outdoor Plaza of the famous Richmond Olympic Oval; the weekend festivities wrapped up on Sunday with a workshop on Dragon and Lion Dance foundation standards.
We were lucky to host Sifu Chen JianLiang from the Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance Federation to act as our Chief referee and lead our workshops for Coaches and Judges.