What is Dragon Boat Racing?

Dragon boat racing is the fastest growing sport in the world! You will find races and festivals in almost every major city in the world from Saskatoon to London, England. Over 50,000 people participate in the sport in Canada alone. In fact dragon boat racing, which yearly has a world championship, is being heavily considered as an Olympic sport. Standard dragon boat races pit 18 metre long boats, with 14-20 paddlers, a steersperson, and a drummer, against each other in a straight-line race of approximately 500 metres. The paddlers paddle as fast and as hard as they can, but synchronization of the strokes of the paddlers is the key to overall speed. The drummer sets the rythem and pace of the strokes, while the steersperson guides the direction of the boat and shouts the orders. The boats, approximately the length of a transit bus, are colourfully decorated as dragons, with the front of the boat being adorned with a dragon's head and the back end of the boat having a dragon's tail. Dragon boats are extremely stable water vessels, thus Dragon Boat racing is a great sport for everyone to enjoy and participate in safely.

History of Dragon Boat Racing

The history of Dragon Boat dates back over 2000 years to anceint China. Its origins start with the legend of Chinese poet and statesman, Qu Yuan who drowned himself as a protest against political corruption. When the people of Chu went to rescue him they splashed wildley and threw zung-ze (rice wrapped in reed leaf) into the river to honour him and keep the fish away from his body. Since this time a festival has been held in his honour, called the Double-Fifth Festival, which was to be held on the fifth day of the fifth moon. This happens in late May to mid-June. The boats were derived from Chinese fishing vessels of the time and the dragon was chosen as a symbol fir its superiority over water. The festival has evolved into races between the boats and over the past 20 years the races have evolved into a sport all of their own, the paddling sport of Dragon Boat Racing. Festivals and races are no longer just held during the original Double-Fifth Festival, if fact they happen throughout the year, and all over the world. Many of the original traditions have been altered for the sake of faster and more exciting races.

Quick Facts