Duanwu Friendship Through Sport
A unique event designed to enhance friendship between the peoples of Australia
and China and to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.
The 2025 Duanwu event
On Saturday 31 May 2025, an AFL game will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) between the Sydney Swans and Adelaide Crows. The game is being held the day of the Duanwu Dragon Boat Festival – a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Pre-game VIP Dinner
Prior to the game a VIP dinner will bring together leaders from the Chinese and Australian government, business and the community to celebrate the game and the importance of sport in strengthening the relationship between our two countries. There will be speeches from senior representatives from the Australian and Chinese government aswell as senior representatives from the AFL and business community.
Event Details
Saturday, May 31, 2025
5:00pm Pre-game VIP Dinner
7:35pm Game between the Sydney Swans and Adelaide Crows
For more information regarding the game and how to get there,
please visit the Sydney Cricket Ground website.
Duanwu Partners
Founding Partners
Sponsors
Event Partners
中华人民共和国驻澳大利亚联邦大使馆
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia
中华人民共和国驻悉尼总领事馆
Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Sydney
澳大利亚中国总商会
China Chamber of Commerce in Australia
Australian Football
The game of Australian Rules Football was devised in 1858 and first played formally in 1859. In 1987 teams representing all the major competitions in the country were consolidated into what is now known as the Australian Football League (AFL). Today it comprises 18 teams based in Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and within the next few years Hobart. The competition is played across 17 different locations encompassing the entire country. It is by far the most attended sport in the country and is the fourth best attended sporting competition in the world. And it is not unusual for two suburban Melbourne clubs to draw crowds of up to 90,000.
To find out more about the game rules, you can view the Guide to the Game (Chinese).
Duanwu Festival
The Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. As people attempted to dispel the bad luck brought by the day, they developed auspicious ceremonies and performances that made the Dragon Boat Festival a day to avoid ill fortune. The history of Duanwu goes back over 2,000 years and is widely observed in China and other parts of East Asia. The Duanwu Festival is a time for Chinese people to celebrate their cultural heritage, strengthen community bonds through dragon boat races, and enjoy traditional foods like zongzi (rice dumplings). It is a vibrant and significant holiday that showcases the richness of Chinese history and traditions.
The Sydney Swans were originally formed in 1874 in Melbourne as the South Melbourne Football Club. In 1982 the club relocated to Sydney. It won five Premierships in the Victorian Football League and was a Foundation member of the League from 1897. Since then up to the modern day it has won a further five Premierships. Over the last quarter of a century it has been the most consistent team in what is now known as the AFL including playing in seven Grand Finals and winning two Premierships. The club has worn red and white for 150 seasons. It is known to its fans as either the Swans, the Swannies or the Bloods. Independent market research indicates the Swans have two million supporters across Australia which makes it by far the most popular club of any sport in the country. It has nearly 70,000 members. In 2022 it entered a Women’s team in the national competition known as AFLW.