Dragon Boat races draw more local youth to sports

Fok Long teammates On (left) and Seng (right)

Preparations for the International Dragon Boat Races, which kick off on Saturday, are well underway at the Nam Van Nautical Center.

The activity was practiced informally until the 1980s, after which it was promoted as an annual international event. The government has invited teams from different countries and regions, such as Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Philippines, China, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Australia and Europe.

Since 2001, the International University Student Dragon Boat Races have been included in the program in order to increase participation in the various categories.

The event is one of the highlights of the local sports calendar and has drawn significant support and interest from among Macau’s youngsters.

The Times went to Nam Van Nautical Center to speak with the participants ahead of the races and during practice sessions, so as to learn about their motivations and interest in the event.

Nick Chan, aged 16, is a student from Xin Hua School who joined the event together with some of his schoolmates.

Chan, who told the Times he has been racing for about two years now, has high expectations for the weekend race.

“I expect we can win the race,” he said.

Nick and his schoolmates, who are all around the same age, have been training for the past couple of months. They practice for three hours a day and about five days a week. All of them said they were determined to win, but were also anxious about the “big day.”

Xin Hua School Team. Among others, Chan is wearing a white t-shirt

A competitor in another category, 33-year-old Bobby Cheong, will represent the “Dragon Heart” team. His team has also been “training hard” for the event.

“We are training three to four days a week,” remarked Cheong, who was reluctant to predict the outcome of the race but described it as a “fun event to participate in.”

As for ways to improve the event, Cheong suggested having “more races [throughout the year], not only one or two times a year” and expressed his hopes that Dragon Boat competitions could be held all year long.

Representing and supporting “Fok Long Macau Team” are teammates Weng, Seng and On. The three prefer spectating to participation.

Seng, aged 20, is nicknamed “Superman” and follows the sport with great interest. He told the Times he sometimes goes abroad to watch other races in Hong Kong, Korea and China.

“The training [sessions] are really hard and tiring. At the moment I have little time to dedicate to the practice and I’ll just be helping the team [when needed],” Seng said, adding that he will devote more time to training sessions during the upcoming summer holidays.

At 16, Weng is one of the younger members of the group. He said the team participates in other events, mainly in China and Hong Kong, “at least three times a year.”

On, aged 18, said that liking Dragon Boat Races and participating in the event is like “being part of a community.” He cited this sense of belonging as one of his reasons for supporting “Fok Long”.

The International Dragon Boat Races are organized by the Sports Bureau and the Dragon Boat Association of Macao, China. The event will take place at Nam Van on May 27, 28 and 30. There will be several other activities and forms of entertainment on site. Admission is free.