The United States was a Charter Member of the founding of the IDBF in 1990, via the American Dragon Boat Association of Iowa.
The mission of the USDBF is “To promote the growth and development of dragon boating in the U.S. for fitness, recreation, and team building at all levels of competition.”[4] The USDBF is divided into four regions: Pacific, Midwest, Southeastern, and Eastern regions.
A team must have accrued enough points at USDBF-sanctioned races throughout the year to qualify to compete at the CCNC.
The champions of the five divisions win berths to represent the US at the following year's IDBF Club Crew World Championships.
Robert "Bob" McNamara is the most successful dragon boat coach in the United States.
The United States has won many medals at the international level; medals standings from the IDBF World Nations Championships (also called the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, or WDBRC) are listed below.
The Junior/U24 division races were held in Divonne-les-Bains, France, in conjunction with the European Club Crew Championships.