ID president hopes dragon boat races boost economy

The president of the Sports Bureau (ID), Pun Weng Kun, hopes that the “Dragon Boat Races”, scheduled for this June, will help boost the local economy, he said yesterday at the press conference that announced this year’s event.

Questioned on the topic by media, Pun said, “I believe that, this year, this event can promote further development of this sport. I also hope that the athletes [who will come to Macau to compete] can bring their families with them. Take advantage of a holiday; visit and enjoy Macau. We want to host events that attract more visitors to Macau and boost the economy,” he added.

As in past editions, this year’s Macao International Dragon Boat Races, the principal sponsor of which is SJM, will invite several teams from both the mainland and other countries. Pun noted that the final number of non-local teams is not yet clear, as the bureau is still in the process of extending  invitations to competitors.

It is certain that last year’s champions will be participating in this year’s competition, by invitation from the organizers.

China Nanhai Jiujiang won both the Open Category and the Women’s Category of the Macao International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race (500m) last year, while Kasetsart University of Thailand won the Macao University Student Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race (500m) in the same competition.

As announced at yesterday’s press conference, held at the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort, this year’s event will replicate last year’s format. This time, however, all the races will be held over three consecutive days, starting on Saturday Jun. 8 and closing on Monday Jun. 10, which marks Tung Ng Festival Day.

In his speech, Pun noted the relevance of the event. “It is a fusion between sports competition and Chinese traditional customs,” which aims not only to “foster the growth of watersports within Macau but also celebrate China’s rich heritage.”

Representing SJM, managing director Daisy Ho also noted the importance of the event in “showcasing Chinese culture to a global audience,” reflecting upon the two anniversaries celebrated this year: the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR.

Without explaining exactly it would, Ho also said the event is “expected to draw more international visitors to Macau.”

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.

REGISTRATION OF LOCAL TEAMS STARTS TOMORROW

Registrations for limited places in the local races will commence tomorrow, from March 13 until March 19.

Local races include the Macao Small Dragon Boat Race, with up to 60 teams competing in the Open Category and 24 teams in the Women’s category; the Macao Government Departments Small Dragon Boat Race, including 18 teams; the Macao University Student Small Dragon Boat Race, with 12 teams competing in the Open category; and the Macao Standard Dragon Boat Race, with 36 teams competing in the Open category and eighteen teams for Women’s category.

Interested parties are required to submit team entries online (www.cmdragonboat.org.mo) between 10 a.m. March 13 and 10 p.m. March 19 so that they can obtain an online account. Through that, each team can register for their respective race categories between 10a.m. March 20 and 10 p.m. on March 26.

Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until all places are filled.

The best 12 ranked teams in the Open category and the best six ranked teams in the Women’s category of the 2023 Macao Small Dragon Boat Race, as well as the top-six ranked teams in the Open category and the top-three ranked teams in Women’s category of the 2023 Macao Standard Dragon Boat Race, are given priority to register for the corresponding category of the 2024 Macao International Dragon Boat Races.

Successfully registered teams should submit the relevant information, including participants’ names, by 10p.m. May 2.

Application to change team members must be submitted by 10 p.m. May 10.