By Umer Nangiana
The best dragon boat crews in town are all set to battle it out at Qatar’s first dragon boat competition of the season. Organised by Qatar Dragon Boat, the first Qatar International Dragon Boat Festival will be held on December 4 at the Grand Hyatt Doha and is open to both corporate or recreational and competitive crews.
The festival will see different participating teams in multiple categories battling it out to become champions. After the races, the participants will enjoy light refreshments and live music at the festive event. The race event is expected to last from 8am to 5pm on Friday with live entertainment afterwards.
Myth and legend surround the history of dragon boat racing, which is believed to have started more than 2,000 years ago in southern China as a fertility rite performed to ensure bountiful crops.
Over the centuries, a second story was integrated to give the celebrations a dual meaning and to commemorate the celebrated Chinese poet and patriot Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River to protest against the corruption of his time.
To this day, vibrant dragon boat festivals are held around the world every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month to celebrate this event.
The year 1976 is considered the birth of modern-day dragon boat racing when the Hong Kong Tourist Association together with the Association of Hong Kong Fishermen organised the first international race in Hong Kong.
The development of the sport is governed by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), which have facilitated the global development of one of the fastest growing water sport in the world. Today, dragon boat racing remains an important sporting event for many countries with international competitions held around the world every year.
Dragon boat racing has its humble beginnings in Qatar when the first dragon boat was shipped to Doha on late September 2013.
Within this short time frame, multiple dragon boat teams have setup as well as the organisation of the first dragon boat competition in Qatar. The sport continues to grow and attract athletes of all levels in Qatar.
Qatar Dragon Boat is the dragon boat community group in Qatar and a member of the International Dragon Boat Federation. It is chaired by Jeff Ching with Alexander Tubar, vice chair.
The club aims to promote the growth and development of dragon boat racing in Qatar at all levels of competition. It is currently an all-volunteer community group comprising members passionate about spreading the sport of dragon boat racing in Qatar. The organisers are expecting 450 athletes this year and an international team for the first time.
On December 4, there will be 200m competitive and corporate or recreational category races. The organisers say the IDBF rules of racing applies to the competition, except where appropriate amended by the specific Qatar Dragon Boat race and entry rules. IDBF 1222 Standard Boat will be used in the competition while only IDBF recognised paddles will have to be used for teams participating in the competitive category only. Race length for standard boat will be 16 minutes with 20 maximum paddlers.
