Over 4,000 Paddlers from 10 Countries to Participate in Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races

Dark/Light Mode (13/06/23)  Hong Kong will once again host International Dragon Boat Race this month, after a four-year hiatus.

Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA), over 160 teams of about 4,000 dragon boat paddlers will participate on 24 and 25 June 2023.

Arnold Chung, Secretary General of the HKCDBA, said, “‘The Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races are the world’s most historical dragon boat competition, attracting strong teams from all over the world, and I believe the races in Victoria Harbour will be sensational. I would like to thank the various government departments and partners for their support. HKCDBA has long strived to make the sports of dragon boat popular, and will continue to pass on the heritage and culture of the Dragon Boat Festival and the festivities to the local public as well as visitors.”

This year, the International Dragon Boat Races will be held over two days with a total of 17 races.

Thai paddlers in action. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Over 160 teams of some 4,000 athletes from 10 countries and regions, including first-timer Poland, as well as teams from Australia, Dubai, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong will compete.

Among them, Australia, Thailand and Philippines are sending their national teams.

HKTB is offering cash prizes in five major races for the first time, including the International Championship, the International Open Grand Championship, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Championship, the Hong Kong Championship and the Hong Kong-Macao Trophy.

The champion of those races will be awarded US$10,000 to encourage teams to be more committed and to add excitement to the event.

“The International Dragon Boat Races are the HKTB’s first international sports event since travel resumed in Hong Kong. It is a great pleasure to have the best dragon boat teams from around the world to join us this year, and we are delighted to invite the teams from the nine cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Macao and Hong Kong to compete in the Greater Bay Area Championship,” said Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director. “It is also the first time that we introduce the Hong Kong-Macao Trophy in collaboration with Macao. These races are going to promote the partnership and cooperation between the cities in the GBA driving multi-destination tourism in the Area. In the future, we hope to inject more GBA elements into our sports events to build the GBA tourism brand. For the first time, cash prizes will be available to winning teams in five major races to encourage teams from around the world to participate.”

The Greater Bay Area Championship is one of the highlights of the International Dragon Boat Races as it brings together 11 elite teams from Jiangmen, Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, as well as Hong Kong and Macao.

This year, the Hong Kong-Macao Trophy will be jointly held by the two cities for the first time. Six teams from the Mainland, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong and Macao will compete in the Macao International Dragon Boat Races and the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races on 22 and 24 June respectively, before competing for the Hong Kong-Macao Trophy in the Final on 25 June.

See also: Pictures of Thailand Elephant Boat Races.

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