Culture of Dragon Boat Racing
The Experience
Dragon boat racing combines brightly colored boats adorned with dragon heads, large crews of men and women straining to go even faster, a drummer pounding out a loud beat for each boat, water spraying everywhere from all of the paddles, and a screaming crowd cheering on their favorite boats. It's loud, exciting, and fun!
The Event
Preceding the actual races, some festivals still practice the ancient ritual of "Awakening the Dragon." An eye-dotting ceremony awakens the dragon and brings out its fire, which gives the boats and their crews the strength of the dragon.
The Sport
Dragon boat racing is one of the fastest growing athletic events in the world. The World Championships of Dragon Boat Racing have been held annually in Hong Kong since 1976. Since that time, Canada has emerged as a world power, shaking the foundation of a sport which has historically been dominated by Asian countries. Canadian women have won the world championships five of the last seven years and Canada's men's and mixed crews are current world champions.
In 1996, Vancouver played host to the first ever World Cup of Dragon Boat Racing and in 1998 the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) hosted a competition as a prelude to the Commonwealth Games in Penang, Malaysia. The IDBF, headquartered in London, England, hopes this step will lead to the eventual inclusion of dragon boat racing as a demonstration sport in future Olympic Games.
What's most exciting, however, is the growth of the sport at the grass roots level. Although most international crews are either all male or female, national and regional events attract primarily mixed teams from corporations, public service groups, and clubs sponsored by small businesses and high schools.
The Benefits
Dragon boat racing, the ultimate team sport, is growing exponentially in corporate and community centers worldwide. With a current annual growth rate of 30 to 40%, it offers unlimited potential for corporate team building and promotion.
By participating, here are some of the valuable benefits your organization will realize:
- Untapped and uncluttered sport marketing opportunity
- Extremely high on the "fun, fitness and friendship" scale
- Visually spectacular, exciting, split-second finishes
- Personal satisfaction plus team development
