The elite games will feature the rowing teams of the University of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes University, as well as the Australian national rowing team and the Great Britain national rowing team.

The college category includes 11 rowing teams from universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, while the teenager group consists of five rowing teams, including the rowing teams of Shanghai High School and YK Pao School.

This year's competition schedule has been adjusted, moving the city sprint race to the first day and the 4.2-kilometer chase set for Sunday.