ID: Anticipation for dragon boat races high despite rain

The Macau International Dragon Boat Races are scheduled to take place over three consecutive days starting from Saturday until Monday.

In a blessing ceremony held yesterday, Sports Bureau (ID) director Pun Weng Kun remains optimistic about this year’s event, noting that regardless of rain, the event will proceed as planned.

Pun said that anticipation is high among participants and spectators, with attendance expected to match or surpass last year’s numbers.

Last year, the event drew in 16,000 attendees.

The official exporessed that dragon boat racing has evolved into a traditional sports event cherished by both residents and tourists.

Interest in participating this year remains strong, with around 200 teams from countries such as China, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Moreover, various additional activities will be organized outside the main venue to engage both citizens and tourists.

As in other editions, the first day of competition at the Nam Van Lake is dedicated to local races in small boats and over shorter distances. In contrast, the second day continues to feature local races but in larger boats over long distances, up to 500m.

On the final day, the competition will host international races, including the Open and Women categories, as well as a race dedicated to the universities.

The Dragon Boat festival, also known as “Tuen Ng” in Cantonese, is associated with a story of a righteous official in ancient times who drowned himself after falling out of favor with his leader.

According to the lore, villagers rushed out to the river with boats to try and save him, and threw rice dumplings into the water to prevent fish from eating his body and to ward away evil spirits. Thus the tradition of dragon boating and eating rice dumplings, which are called zongzi in Chinese, was born.

The holiday is celebrated in mainland China and regions like Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as in countries like Singapore that have a large Chinese diaspora.

Pun refutes outdoor concert rumor

Furthermore, reports circulating online suggest that a singer has applied to hold a concert at the Taipa Stadium. Questioned by the press on the topic, the official mentioned that no concert applications have been received by the authorities thus far.

Given that the sports ground is an outdoor facility with specific considerations, any future applications will be processed according to established protocols, including group discussions to manage large-scale performance events. Staff Reporter