DSN Mar 2021

DRAGON SPORT NEWS

SPORT NEWS – THE EMAGAZINE FOR ALL DRAGON BOATERS

the Emagazine for Dragon Boaters world-wide

Incorporating Dragon Boat International Newsletter

“An Independent Voice for Dragon Boat Sport”

March 2021 Isssue No.15.

Spring Edition

IDBF 30 th Anniversary: EDBF Champs Kiev: All About Vaccines; Assam Champs; Egypt Federation; Euro News and much, much, more.

Who, Where, When and Why ?

HEADLINE LOOK AT THE NEWS INSIDE DS

SN.......

EDITORIAL

What Can We Look Forward To -

Steps towards normality,

Page: 3.

Special Features

IDBF 30 th Anniversary Activities

Talking Point 1 – IDBF Elections

Euro News from the EDBF.

Canoeing’s Dick Dastardly

Pages: 5, 6, 7, 9.

FEATURES

1 st Assam Dragon Boat Championships

Drum Beat – Senior Racing Classes

Talking Point 2 – The Seniors Story

Pink Paddlers News from the IBCPC

Blast from the Past (and Present) - ICF

Pages: 15, 18, 19, 21, 27.

Culture Corner

Foshan Picture Story

Why the Drum

Pages: 3, 26.

2021 CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATES

IDBF Hong Kong, World Nations Championships

EDBF Kiev, European Nations & Club Championships

Pages: 5, 8.

Dragon Boat International News

Egypt Dragon Boat Federation Founded

News from the British Dragon Boat Association

Uganda Dragon Boat Federation re-organised

Updates from the Irish Dragon Boat Association

Pages: 30, 31, 32.

KNOW HOW

Dr Leila Ataei’s Sports Science Corner

All About the Vaccines

The Fears we Fear About Catching COVID -19,

Pages: 10, 14.

Calendar of Dragon Boating

Events and Festivals March to November 2021

Tim Horton’s Ottawa Virtual Challenge –starts now

Pages: 33, 35

Dragon Boating – Not just a Mass Participation Sport but an Ancient Tradition “ 2.

Dragon Sport News - Emagazine


March 2021 Edition

WHAT WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2021 – IDBF ‘s 30 th ANNIVERSARY

WELCOME to this Edition of Dragon Sport News, the independent E-

magazine that keeps you informed about Dragon Boating world-wide, with

news and views on all aspects of the Sport and what people think and feel

about it !

With the world-wide wide pandemic that is COVID-19, a corona virus that

orginated in China in November 2019 and now has mutations around the

world, what can n we expect to see in 2021 – the year of the Ox in China.

Well the best news is that there are now a number of vaccines on the global

market be to protect us all l from the virus and, as a result, the spread of COVID-19 has slowed down, as has the

number of deaths caused by it. With governments’ now introducing plans to bring their countries back to as near

‘normal’ a possible (what ever normal means in the t coming year) what plans do the governing bodies of Dragon

Boating, at National, Continental and International level, have to get our Sport going again.

In this issue of DSN, we will look at the steps being

taken towards ‘normality’ in our sport, , as well as

keeping you as up to date, as possible, , on what is

happening in the wider Dragon Boat world, , including an

update on the EDBF Nations and Club Crew

Championships in Kiev and a reminder that the IDBF

Championships in Hong Kong, in November, will mark

the 30 th

Anniversary of the founding of the IDBF.

Hopefully we will all be able to go to Hong Kong then

and join in the festivities.

For those of you who take an interest in the IDBF

and the people the IDBF Members elect to represent

you then the other important event of the year will be

the IDBF Members Congress to be held in Hong Kong,

after the World Nations Championships, , which will

include a 30th Anniversary Celebration Dinner.

This year it is the turn of the IDBF Vice-Presidents

and Secretray-General, to be elected and so now is the

time to ask yourself, who are the present Vice-Presidents

and Secretary-General and who should be re-elected or

not, to govern the IDBF for the four years to 2025. See

the Talking Point 1 article for the personalities involved.

On the dark side of life, the ICF are up to their

dragon boat tricks again, this time by organising an

ICF Club Crew Championships, in Poznan, Poland, in

direct oppsition to the EDBF Clubs’ and Nations

Championships’ in Kiev, in August.

The Poznan Organising Committee are contacting IDBF

Members’ Dragon Boat Clubs s to try and get them to

support the ICF event. They must be desperate for

entries, see separate article.

Have a look too at the ‘Drum Beat’ page, which looks

at the ongoing situation over the Senior Racing Classes,

in Australia. That is followed by a look at the Senior

Racing Classes story, on the Talking Point 2, page,

which along with articles from the Dragon Boat

community, at large, completes this issue of DSN.

I hope you enjoy reading it. . Your Y comments on the

magazine and your contributions to it are always

welcomed and gladly accepted. So air your views on

Dragon Boat Sport with DSN.

Mike MacKeddie-Haslam . DSN Editor.

Comment, articles and pictures for Dragon Sport News should be sent to the Editor:

Tel: + 44 (0) 7910 200 331. . Email: mikehaslam@aol.com or mikehaslam@dragonboat.org.uk

Articles etc for the IDBF Newsletter, Long Zhou eNews, should be sent to the Editor, Email newsletter@idbf.org

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Dragon Boating. " More than a Sport – a Tradition " 3.

Dragon Sport News - Emagazine “An Independent Voice for Dragon Boat Sport” March 2021 Edition

FOSHAN PICTURE STORY

In Diejiao water village, rivers are

arranged in a crisscross pattern

and a river with an average width

of six meters is formed, which

limits dragon boats from racing

side by side and only supports a

time-trial race for each single

boat.

The 25-meter long dragon boats

race one after the other, at less

than 30 second intervals down

the many bends of the river.

Hundreds of dragon boats

compete.

The team work of the crews, in

negotiating the narrow course

with its many bends, and the

speed of the boats, shows a

combination of skill and power,

which has to be seen to be

believed.

In Foshan, in addition to the dragon boat race, there is

also a dragon boat event called the "Night Dragon

Tour"! Dozens of dragon boats are dressed with gongs

and drums, umbrellas and lanterns, showing the full

beauty of the dragon boat.

Night dragon events are rare in Guangdong, but they

are a unique feature of the Ronggui traditional dragon

boat culture.

Such a night spectacular shows the attraction and

uniqueness of the dragon boat in a very different and

spectacular way. Source: Newsgd.com



The IDBF was formally consitututed in

Hong Kong on the 24 th June 1991, after the

Hong Kong International Races, then the

accepted ‘unofficial’ World Championships for Club based

crews. The 2 nd IDBF World Nations Championships were

held in Hong Kong in 1997. So it is very appropriate that

the IDBF should celebrate its 30 th Birthday in Hong Kong,

show-cased by the 15 th World Nations Championships

and then celebrated at the IDBF Members Congress.

Information below and logo from Long Zhou News, the Official Newsletter of the IDBF.

To kick-off the celebrations, we have created a 30th Anniversary logo to mark the occasion (as shown above). The

traditional 30th Anniversary symbol is a pearl. This is fitting for IDBF’s anniversary celebrations as Chinese dragons

are known to hold a pearl in its mouth (or under its chin). Various dragon boat designs also incorporate the pearl in the

dragon’s mouth. We hope this anniversary design connects the sport to its heritage and cultural roots.

IDBF HALL OF FAME – NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN

To mark the 30th Anniversary of the International

Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), we are proudly inaugurating the IDBF Hall of Fame. The International Dragon Boat

Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of the men and women who have made a

significant contribution to the sport of dragon boat. Whether it is their excellence on the water or their efforts behind the

scene, they have demonstrated their commitment to building our sport and inspired others to achieve their best.

Key Dates:

Nominations open – March and close - 31 July 2021. Review of nominations and short-listing in

September 2021. List of finalists announced – October and the Hall of Fame winners announced at the

World Nations Championships Celebration Dinner in Hong Kong, in November 2021.

How to Apply: Download the Hall of Fame Information sheet (PDF) . Complete the Nomination Form (Word).

Submit your completed Nomination Form, with supporting documents, by the 31 st July 2021, to

halloffame@dragonboat.sport. Information is also available on the IDBF website - Hall of Fame.

FACE BOOK PHOTO COMPETITION As a part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations, we're running a

Facebook Photo Competition! Winners of each category will receive a copy of IDBF's 30 th Anniversary book. So

now's the time to get inspired and Marie Kondo your collection of dragon boat photos. There are six categories. Each

fortnight will be a different category (generations, seasons, abstract, emotions, actions and pets). Entry is free and

open to anyone Entries from persons under 18 must have parent/guardian consent

The Competition starts Monday 15 February 2021 and ends Sunday 9 May 2021. Multiple entries will be

accepted, so post your photo on the IDBF Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/idbf.dragonboat.sport

Include the following hash-tags: #dragonboat, #idbf30 and your club hash-tag (if any) Include a title or a short

sentence about the photo. Tell all your family and friends to 'like' your pic!

At the end of each fortnight, the top three photos by 'likes' will be shortlisted and announced on IDBF's

Facebook page within a week of the category entry closing and will also have their photo published in the forthcoming

IDBF 30 th Anniversary book. Winners of each category will be announced at a later date.

See the full submission guidelines and conditions of entry - https://www.dragonboat.sport/photocompetition

15 TH IDBF WORLD DRAGON BOAT RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS

1st –7th November 2021

Kwun Tong Promenade, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Planned Championships Week Programme – 1 st & 2 nd November 2021, Crew Training.

Opening Ceremony 2 nd November, Racing days 3 rd -7 th November – 2k, 1k, 500m, 200m, 500m.

8 th November 2021, IDBF 18 th Members Congress & 30 th Anniversary Celebration Lunch.

The IDBF is issuing a Safety Guide for all those attending the World Championships in Hong Kong,

Go to www.dragonboat.sport to request a copy.



The 30 th Anniversary of the IDBF in Hong Kong, will also be marked by the IDBF Members Congress, the

Eighteenth to be held since the IDBF Founding Members formally adopted the IDBF Statutes in 1991. The Statutes

are based on those of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and were compliled by Bob Wilson, the first IDBF

President.

The Statues are the ‘blue-print’ for the IDBF, as an

International Sports Federation and detail how the IDBF

is to be organised and governed.

They are designed to give the IDBF Members (National

Dragon Boat Organisations), through the IDBF

Congress, the ultimate authority over the IDBF’s

governance and its representation with other

international sports federations and organisations.

Internally, under the Statutes, the Sport is governed

on behalf of the IDBF Members by an IDBF Council,

who are individuals elected by the Members at a biannual

IDBF Congress, for a 4 year term of office.

These individuals are the IDBF President, Vice-

Presidents’, Secretary-General, Treasurer (all of whom

may serve for three consecutive terms of office) and the

Chair-holders of the various IDBF Commissions, such

as Competition, Technical, Medical, Media, etc, etc.

The Council also consists of representatives of the

Continental Federations, such as the ADBF and EDBF.

From the elected members of the Council, there is

an Executive Committee of management, headed by

the IDBF President, who with the Secretray-General,

Treasurer and the IDBF Vice-Presidents’ are

responsible for the ‘day to day’ running and business

matters of the IDBF.

TALKING POINT 1.

IDBF ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 2021, HONG KONG

Within the Executive there is a Finance Committee,

responsible for supervising the financial matters of the

Federation, consisting ot the President, Senior Vice-

President, Secretary-General and the Treasurer.

The Council is ultimately responsible for bringing

forward to each IDBF Congress any development

projects, legislation and governance matters for

discussion and ratification or rejection, by the IDBF

Members, thus completing the governance circle.

Over the years this system has worked well and the

Statutes amended to reflect the Sport’s devlopment. In

recent times the IDBF Executive Committee has

increased in numbers and started to take on a more

policy making role, in addition to its management role

and conversely, the IDBF Council as a whole, has

become less directly involved in the governance of the

IDBF or influencial.

At the 2021 Members’s Congress the five IDBF Vice-

Presidents’ and the Secretary-General, are due for

election to the Council and will form over 50% of the

Executive Committee. Therefore, given the Executive’s

incresed size and role, it is important for the IDBF

Members to know who those holding these positions,

pictured below are and what they have done or plan to

do for the Federation, over the next four years. So why

not ask them, at their email addresses’ shown below.

The retiring Vice-Presidents’ are Raymond Ma (Hong Kong), Matt Smith (Canada); both first elected in 2013 and

Julie Doyle (Ireland); Peter Jarosi (Hungary) both first elected in 2017. All four are eligible for re-elction, if so

nominated. The IDBF Secretary-General, Peter Tang, also retires in 2021 and is eligible for re-election.

1 st Vice-President. 2 nd Vice-President 3 rd Vice-President 4 th Vice-President Secretary-General

docray@gmail.com

matt.smith@idbf.org julie.doyle@dragonboat.sport jarosi@sarkanyhajo.hu general-secretary@idbf.org

The Chair-holders of the following IDBF Commissions are eligible for re-election too at the 2021 Congress.

Athletes, Sue Holloway (Canada); Womens, Ellen Law (USA); Youth, Patrick Cosgrove (Great Britain)

Para Dragons, Nigel Bedford (Great Britain) and Sport for All, Commissions, Tom Joseph (India).

chair-athletes@idbf.org. ellenlaw@yahoo.com chair-youth@idbf.org chair-para@idbf.org techchairmandbf@gmail.com




March 2021 Edition

EURO NEWS - MARCH 2021

EDBF Executive Committee and Council Meetings

At recent meetings of the EDBF Executive Committee and Council (E&C), regular discussions have been held

about the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and plans for EDBF competitions in 2021.

From information received from the EDBF Members,

by the e EDBF President, Claudio Schermi, and from the

situations in their own countries, the E & C were fully

aware of the current restrictions in Europe.

A number of countries were in full lockdown with no

allowable access to gyms or water facilities, which

prevented athletes from training, whilst in other countries

athletes were able to train pretty y much as normal.

Valerii Morgun, , President of the Ukraine Dragon Boat

Federation (Ukdbf) advised the E&C, that Ukraine Clubs C

were training as usual The only restriction was the

requirement to wear face masks in shops.

With regard to the 2021 European Club Crews

Championships and the postponed Nations

Championships, the E&C strongly felt that both these

Championships would take place, as planned, in Kiev, in

August but that the format may need to be changed and

there would be a need to implement COVID-19 protocols

Saed Abdalla (EDBF Competition Commission Chair-

holder) advised that he was preparing a medical and

safety protocols document, in relation to the

Championships and requested that the Ukdbf speak with

the Ukraine Government to see what restrictions might be

implemented by them, such as a requirement for a

negative test result.

2021 EURO CUP RACE SERIES

The EDBF EURO CUP is a series of primarily festival races, held in European

Cities, to which EDBF Members’ crews are invited to compete. The Euro Cup is

designed to encourage Sport Racers to go to Dragon Boat Festivals and race for

points and medals, whilst also scoring Euro Cup Points for their Country. In 2019 four

Euro Cup Races were held in Barcelona, Seville, Belgrade and Rome.

Club Crews from 17 EDBF Member Countries took part. Germany were the overall

winners, with Spain in second place and the Czech Republic third.

Due to COVID-19 no Euro Cup Races were held in 2020 but it is the intention of the

EDBF to hold Euro Cup Races in the late racing season, following on from the EDBF

Championships in Kiev, in August 2021.

Applications to host a Euro Cup Race in 2021, have been received from France,

Italy and Serbia. All EDBF Members are asked to notify the EDBF President, if they

are interested in holding a Euro Cup event, from September 2021 onwards, COVID-

19 permitting.

Valerii Morgun confirmed that he had met with the

Ukraine Sports Minister and Kiev City Minister and they

were treating the EDBF Championships’ as a priority

event for the Ukraine, plus he has financial support from

the Government. He confirmed to the E&C that there

was enough support from just the Ukraine clubs to run

the Club Crews Championship.

Valerii also advised the E&C that a key factor for

Government funding was the number of nations who

would be attending the EDBF Nations Championship.

Therefore he asked that EDBF Members, with Club

Crews entering the ECCC, who were not sending a

National Team, , to allow their Clubs to form National

Teams for the Nations Championships. A Club Crew

from Cyprus had already asked if this was possible.

The E&C agreed that there was a need to restart their

events programme as soon as practical. With this in

mind, and in view of the uncertainty over COVID-19

restrictions during the coming racing season, Claudio

Schermi advised the meetings’ that he had contacted

Jason McKenzie, from the UAE Dragon Boat

Association, about the possibility sibility of hosting a Euro Cup

Race in Dubai, in November or December, if the

pandemic would allow.

2019 EURO CUP RESULT

Points

Place

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Nation

Germany

Spain

Czech Rep

Ukraine

Italy

Russia

Gt Britain

France

Switzerland

Cyprus

Serbia

Ireland

Sweden

Poland

Austria

Netherlands

Hungary

Grand

Total

1193

905

781

766

454

360

351

336

257

195

172

169

140

121

96

76

35




March 2021 Edition

18 th European Club Crew Championships

and

14 th European Nations Championships

Obolon Water Stadium, Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine

17th – 22nd AUGUST 2021

The 14 th European Nations Championships

(ENC) postponed from 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be

held from Tues 17 th to Thurs 19 th August 2021 and the 18th EDBF European Club Crew Championships (ECCC)

2021, will be held from the 19th - 22th August 2021. ENC training days will be on Sun 15 th and Mon 16 th Aug and

Clubs on 19 th August. The EDBF recommends that National Teams in the ENC arrive in Kiev (Kyiv) by Saturday 14 th

August 2021 and Club b Crews for the ECCC by Thurs 18 th August 2021. All further Info from http://udbf.org/

LOCATION. . Racing will take place at the Obolon

PROVISIONAL ENTRIES. All Nations and Clubs are

Water Stadium in Kiev (Kyiv), the venue of previous

to submit their Provisional Entries no later than Friday

international dragon boat competitions. It is situated on

2 nd April 2021 (Easter Friday). Once the deadline for

the River Dnieper, which flows through the centre of

Provisional Entries has closed, the EDBF will then

the country. The venue is located approximately 41km

review the number of entries in each competition class

from Boryspil International Airport (KBP) and 22 km

and category. Should there be insufficient entries, then

from Kyiv Airport Zhuilany (IEV).

some classes may be cancelled (one or two entries) or

combined (three to five entries).

REGATTA COURSE. The regatta course and

technical facilities will be according to EDBF standards

CONFIRMED & NAMED ENTRIES. All Confirmed

for European Nations Championships. An IMAS Entries no later than Friday 2 nd July 2021, six weeks

starting system will be used with a fixed start tower at

before the joint championships start.

Named

each starting position. Photo finish and electronic

Entries (including team member m details &

results processing will be provided.

photographs) are to be received by Friday 16 th July

2021, one month before the joint championships start.

Width: 280m – 350m.

FEES & PAYMENTS. The details of when and how

Depth: 9m – 17m over full distance/width of course.

payments for Accommodation, Transport, the

Racing Lanes: 6 lanes of 13.5m width

Celebration Party and all Regatta Fees (Admin,

Water Temperature: 20 – 22C C in August.

Registration and Supporters) will be notified in EDBF

COMPETITION FORMAT. The Championships’ will

be conducted according to the EDBF Competition

Regulations and IDBF Rules of Racing – Edition 8

Information Bulletins but the EDBF will do its best to

ensure that no fees are paid in full until after the

closing date for Named Entries (16 th July 2021) and

(released 1 st January 2020). The racing will be

that any deposits that are required, are kept as low as

conducted by IDBF International Race Officials and

possible and ideally lodged with the EDBF Treasurer.

assisted by National Officials and volunteers under the

Teams and Crews are advised not to pay any deposits

direction of an EDBF Chief Official, with a Jury

for their accommodation before the date for Confirmed

nominated by the EDBF Executive Committee.

Entries (2 nd July 2021) and then only if they receive a

Racing and Competition Classes. It is the intention

to offer Championships’ as follows:-

Racing Classes: Premier, Snr A, B, C, U24, Junior.

guarantee in writing from the accommodation venue

concerned that any deposit will be returned to them in

the event that Covid-19 restrictions prevent them from

ECCC only - BCS and Para Dragons.

attending the event.

Competition ENC 200m, 500m, 1000m, 2km..

It is NOT the intention of the EDBF to cancel the

Classes: ECCC 200m, 500m and 2000m.

ENC or ECCC in Kiev, even given the presence of

Covid-19. It is to be hoped that any travel and

All racing distances will be held in both Standard and

quarantine restrictions, in force by August, will

Small boats, if there are sufficient Provisional Entries

still enable participants from outside of the

received by the closing date for such Entries.

Ukraine to take part. . All the recommended safety

PADDLERS MAY COMPETE IN BOTH THE ENC

AND THE ENC, if selected to do so.

measures will be taken in Kiev, to protect all

participants and officials from the possibility of

catching or spreading the corona virus, COVID-19.



CANOEING’S DICK DASTARDLY – ALIVE AND WELL !

Dick Dastardly, a 1968 fictional cartoon character,

was a villanious anti-hero, always opposing the

good guy and trying to claim the good guy’s

achievements as his own.

This is akin to the ICF portraying itself as the

world’s leading International Federation for Dragon

Boating, when, in fact, it is the IDBF and not the ICF

that is the recognised world authority for the sport

Now in its latest attempt to rule the roost, the ICF

are planing to hold a Dragon Boat Club Crew

Championship in Poznan, Poland, in direct opposition

to the EDBF Championships in Kiev, the Ukraine, in

August of this year.

In this endevour they have a big problem, not only

because of the corona virus pandemic but also because

historically ICF Championships attract just a few crews

to their events, compared to those that support IDBF

and EDBF Championships. This is especially so when

the ICF (or European Canoe Association) try to

organise Dragon Boat events in Europe.

The ICF’s ’Dick Dastardly’ solution is to invite Club

Crews from the IDBF and EDBF Members, to come

and race in Poznan, rather than Kiev, even though the

ICF’s own Constitution clearly states that only ICF

Members can send competitors to ICF Championships

– nice one Dick.

The 22 Dragons Club, in Montreal, Canada, recently received an invitation to compete in Poznan and assumed that

the ICF Championship organisers, were (are) working their way through a list of IDBF Members’ Clubs. In the past 22

Dragons, have ignored such invitations but this time the Club’s leaders though that was time to send a message back

to the ICF, effectively saying “Leave our sport alone”. The 22 Dragons response to the ICF invitation, was to send the

following email:-

“Thank you for inviting 22 Dragons to the 2021 ICF CCWC. Unfortunately we must decline the invitation due to

the ICF’s unethical behaviour in the sport of dragon boating. The ICF’s attempts to annex a sport they did not

develop has created considerable problems in many nations throughout the world and ultimately hindered the

development of the sport”. The 22 Dragons email also said:-,

“Imagine the potential for growth and visibility for both sports if the ICF and the IDBF, the true world governing

body for dragon boat as recognized by GAISF, collaborated with each other".

Matt Smith, the IDBF 2 nd Vice-President and the 22

Dragons leading light, is well aware that from 1998,

when the ICF first tried to claim Dragon Boating as its

own, that myself and the IDBF Council, consistently

tried to collaborate with the ICF during my tenure as

the IDBF President. Mike Thomas who took over from

me in 2016, has tried to do the same since but all

without any constructive response from the ICF.

Instead the ICF first tried to stop the IDBF from

gaining GAISF Membership and now, having been

unsuccessful at the GAISF level, are attempting to

persuade the IOC to recognise the ICF as the

Internatinal Federation that should represent Dragon

Boating at Olympic level and not the IDBF.

Dick Dastardly is alive and well and appeasing him

never worked in his cartoon world. In the sports world,

IOC membership means money, power and influence.

So look out for your invitation and send the ICF a curt

email response to let them know your club is

unimpressed with their continued intrusion efforts.

They are not trying to collaborate with the IDBF but

are attempting to marginalize the IDBF by showing the

IOC, just how succesful the ICF Dragon Boat

Championships are.

Don’t help them. Support the EDBF European

Champiosnships in Kiev and the IDBF World

Nations Championships in Hong Kong. The good

guys of our Sport say, ‘Bye, bye Dick’.

Face Book comments from other good guys and girls in our Sport, on the ICF issue.

Irow Bowside. The Canoe/Kayak Federation here in the Philippines took over dragon boating since 2011... they are the ones

receiving funding, the 3rd highest National Sports Association, funding as their President is a current Board Member of the

POC, even surpassing Philippine Boxing who was named Best NSA of the year by the Phil Sports Writers Association. Silvano

Santini. Very well said. It’s mind-boggling that the ICF decided to organize world championships when they were already in

existence by the IDBF. Julie Robitaille. All clubs need to pull together on this. Pan Am Dragon. Not convinced the olive

branch approach will work. It has been tried repeatedly over the past 15 years. IDBF's patience with the ICF has run its course (I

hope!). ICF will do all it can to undermine/block the IDBF's application process for IOC membership. Let's not do them any

favours. Clubs should say thanks, but no thanks, and let them know you don't appreciate their incursion into dragon boat sport.

Frank D’ Alessandro. You have my support and the paddlers across the pond know how I feel ! count on me to support my

club and the IDBF. Arnie Bade. Well done ! About time. Alida Tinch. Support this, wholeheartedly! Anne McMahon Well

stated. Cathie English. I totally agree with you. Charlie Charlie. Absolutely right, I agree with you



Dr Leila Ataei’s

MEDICAL & SPORTS SCIENCE CORNER

E-mail: Leila.Ataei1983@gmail.com

Leila is a Member of the EDBF Medical & Sports Science Commission.

Dr.Leila Ataei is a lecturer and researcher in Sports Medicine & Physiology, specialising in Exercise, Diet and Nutrition. Having

obtained her PhD in Iran, she is currently completing her Doctorate in Sport Science, at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, where

she now lives. Previously in Iran, she spent 3 years studying medicine, including being a front line medic following a major

earthquake in the region, before switching to biochemistry and then completing her Master’s degree in Sport Physiology. Leila’s

present focus is on Sport Medicine and Anti-Doping issues, especially concerning fitness in trained athletes and sedentary people.

CORONA VIRUS – COVID-19, ALL ABOUT THE VACCINES’

What Are The Ingredients In A Vaccine. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re

made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series.

Vaccines contain tiny fragments of the disease-causing organism or the blueprints for making the tiny fragments.

They also contain other ingredients to keep the vaccine safe and effective. These latter ingredients are included in most

vaccines and have been used for decades in billions of doses of vaccine. Each vaccine component serves a specific

purpose, and each ingredient is tested in the manufacturing process. All ingredients are tested for safety.

ANTIGEN: All vaccines contain an active component (the antigen)

which generates an immune response, or the blueprint for making the

active component. The antigen may be a small part of the disease-causing

organism, like a protein or sugar, or it may be the whole organism in a

weakened or inactive form.

PRESERVATIVES: Preservatives prevent the vaccine from becoming

contaminated once the vial has been opened, if it will be used for

vaccinating more than one person. Some vaccines don’t have

preservatives because they are stored in one-dose vials and are discarded

after the single dose is administered

The most commonly used preservative is 2-phenoxyethanol. It has been used for many years in a number of vaccines,

is used in a range of baby care products and is safe for use in vaccines, as it has little toxicity in humans.

STABILIZERS: Stabilizers prevent chemical reactions from

occurring within the vaccine and keep the vaccine components from

sticking to the vaccine vial. Stabilizers can be sugars (lactose,

sucrose), amino acids (glycine), gelatin, and proteins (recombinant

human albumin, derived from yeast).

SURFACTANTS: Surfactants keep all the ingredients in the

vaccine blended together. They prevent settling and clumping of

elements that are in the liquid form of the vaccine. They are also

often used in foods like ice cream.

RESIDUALS: Residuals are tiny amounts of various substances

used during manufacturing or production of vaccines that are not active ingredients in the completed vaccine.

Substances will vary depending on the manufacturing process used and may include egg proteins, yeast or antibiotics.

Residual traces of these substances which may be present in a vaccine are in such small quantities that they need to

be measured as parts per million or parts per billion. DILUENT: A diluent is a liquid used to dilute a vaccine to the

correct concentration immediately prior to use. The most commonly used diluent is sterile water.

ADJUVANT: Some vaccines also contain adjuvants. An adjuvant improves the immune response to the vaccine,

sometimes by keeping the vaccine at the injection site for a little longer or by stimulating local immune cells. The

adjuvant may be a tiny amount of aluminium salts (like aluminium phosphate, aluminium hydroxide or potassium

aluminium sulphate). Aluminium has been shown not to cause any long-term health problems, and humans ingest

aluminium regularly through eating and drinking.



中文 العربية Français Русский Español Português

HOW ARE VACCINES DEVELOPED?

Most vaccines have been in use for decades, with millions

of people receiving them safely every year. As with all

medicines, every vaccine must go through extensive and

rigorous testing to ensure it is safe before it can be introduced

in a country’s vaccine programme.

Each vaccine under development must first undergo

screenings and evaluations to determine which antigen should

be used to invoke an immune response. This preclinical phase

is done without testing on humans.

An experimental vaccine is first tested in animals to evaluate

its safety and potential to prevent disease.

If the vaccine triggers an immune response, it is then tested in human clinical trials in three phases.

PHASE 1. The vaccine is given to a small number of

volunteers to assess its safety, confirm it generates an

immune response, and determine the right

dosage. Generally in this phase vaccines are tested in

young, healthy adult volunteers.

PHASE 2. The vaccine is then given to several

hundred volunteers to further assess its safety and

ability to generate an immune response. Participants in

this phase have the same characteristics (such as age,

sex) as the people for whom the vaccine is intended.

There are usually multiple trials in this phase to evaluate

various age groups and different formulations of the

vaccine. A group that did not get the vaccine is usually

included in phase as a comparator group to determine

whether the changes in the vaccinated group are

attributed to the vaccine, or have happened by chance.

PHASE 3. The vaccine is next given to thousands of

volunteers – and compared to a similar group of people

who didn’t get the vaccine, but received a comparator

product – to determine if the vaccine is effective against

the disease it is designed to protect against and to study

its safety in a much larger group of people. Most of the

time phase three trials are conducted across multiple

countries and multiple sites within a country to assure the

findings of the vaccine performance apply to many

different populations.

During phase two and phase three trials, the

volunteers and the scientists conducting the study are

shielded from knowing which volunteers had received the

vaccine being tested or the comparator product.

This is called “blinding” and is necessary to assure

that neither the volunteers nor the scientists are

influenced in their assessment of safety or effectiveness

by knowing who got which product.

AFTER THE TRIAL After the trial is over and all the

results are finalized, the volunteers and the trial

scientists are informed who received the vaccine and

who received the comparator.

When the results of all these clinical trials are

available, a series of steps is required, including

reviews of efficacy and safety for regulatory and public

health policy approvals. Officials in each country closely

review the study data and decide whether to authorize

the vaccine for use.

A vaccine must be proven to be safe and effective

across a broad population before it will be approved and

introduced into a national immunization programme. The

bar for vaccine safety and efficacy is extremely high,

recognizing that vaccines are given to people who are

otherwise healthy and specifically free from the illness.

Further monitoring takes place in an ongoing way

after the vaccine is introduced. There are systems to

monitor the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines. This

enables scientists to keep track of vaccine impact and

safety even as they are used in a large number of

people, over a long time frame. These data are used to

adjust the policies for vaccine use to optimize their

impact, and they also allow the vaccine to be safely

tracked throughout its use.

Pinky Scientist says:-

Once a vaccine is in use, it is continuously monitored to make sure it

remains safe to use and that it can be re-formulated to deal with any new

variants or mutations that may arise.



SHOULD I HAVE A COVID-19 VACCINE?

Receiving a vaccine does not guarantee full

protection against COVID-19. You must continue to

follow social distancing guidelines, wear a mask in public,

and wash hands frequently, among other precautions.

Any form of medical treatment carries risks, but in

many cases, these are outweighed by the benefits.

Health Authorities around the world, recommend that

people get vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus that

causes COVID-19, except in very specific circumstances.

Health Authorities recognize that each of the 13

authorized COVID-19 vaccines can cause side

effects. These are often mild and last for only a few

days. They are not unexpected, as while their body

builds immunity, it is normal for a person to experience

minor side effects.

According to the United States Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health

Organization (WHO), common side effects of a COVID-

19 vaccine include a Fever; Fatigue; Headaches; Body

Aches; .Chills and Nausea.

You might also experience side effects around the

injection site, which is usually the upper arm. These

might include swelling, pain, redness, an itchy rash, and

other mild forms of irritation. Fainting can also happen

after any medical procedure, including vaccinations.

Keep in mind that most common side effects are a

sign that your body is starting to build immunity

(protection) against a disease. Learn more about how

vaccines provide immunity

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

What about serious side effects. Serious side effects

from vaccines are extremely rare. For example, if 1

million doses of a vaccine are given, 1 to 2 people may

have a severe allergic reaction.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include: Difficulty

in breathing; Swelling of your face and throat; A fast

heartbeat; A bad rash all over your body; Dizziness and

weakness If you experience a severe allergic reaction,

go to the nearest hospital

Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. Rarely does a

person experience an allergic reaction to one or more

of the ingredients in a vaccine. They might develop

hives or another type of skin rash, swelling, and

respiratory symptoms. A severe allergic reaction is

called anaphylaxis, and it involves low blood pressure,

nausea, and difficulty breathing, among other

symptoms.

Anaphylaxis is an extremely rare side effect of

vaccination. According to the CDC, around or fewer

than 0.001% of people vaccinated in the U.S. have

experienced anaphylaxis afterwar

A study of data about allergic reactions to mRNA

COVID-19 vaccines, noted that most people who

experienced anaphylaxis afterward had a history of

allergies and this particular severe reaction.

It is recommended that anyone who has had an

allergic reaction to one dose of a vaccine not

receive a second dose of the same type of vaccine.

RECENTLY, THERE HAVE BEEN CONCERNS ABOUT SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 VACCINES.

These effects may be coincidental, and there is currently not enough conclusive evidence to link these effects to

specific vaccines. However, regulatory agencies are taking precautionary measures to investigate these safety

concerns.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The Pfizer-BioNTech

and Moderna vaccines are both two-dose mRNA

vaccines. People have reported similar, common side

effects after the second doses of each.

These COVID-19 vaccines are the first vaccines

approved for use in humans that incorporate mRNA

technology. As a result, there are concerns about the

long-term effects and a risk of altering the body’s genetic

information.

People may be unaware that researchers have spent

many years studying the potential of mRNA vaccine

technology. There have been efforts to develop mRNA

vaccines in the past, including Moderna’s human-based

trial of an mRNA Zika virus vaccine.

Furthermore, it is unlikely that an mRNA vaccine can

alter genetic information. The mRNA in a vaccine does

not enter the nucleus of a cell, where DNA is stored, and

it degrades rather quickly in the body after it serves its

purpose. Yet many were alarmed by reports from

Norway that 23 people had died shortly after receiving

the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. However, there is no

evidence that these deaths were a direct result of the

vaccine.

Another death, which occurred in the USA., was

associated with having a low blood platelet count, or

thrombocytopenia. So far, 20 thrombocytopenia cases

have developed following either a Pfizer or Moderna

vaccination. Currently, however, no causal evidence

links these cases with the vaccines.




March 2021 Edition

Oxford-AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India.

The EMA did acknowledge extremely rare cases of

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Danish

thrombocytopenia, an issue that supports blood clot

Health Authority recently observed that the Oxford-

formation, following the vaccination. They are now

AstraZeneca vaccine has been followed by incidents of

incorporating this into their vaccine product information.

blood clots.

Still, they highlight a lack of causal evidence and

emphasize that the benefits of vaccination still outweigh

Of the 5 million people who received this vaccine,

the risks.

there have been 30 reported cases of blood clots. One

case in Denmark was followed by death.

The Serum Institute of India’s Covishield is the

locally manufactured version of the Oxford-

On March 18, 2021, the EMA concluded that the

AstraZeneca vaccine. India has not reported any

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and does not

incidents of blood clotting related to Covishield and

increase the overall risk of blood clots.

currently has no plans to discontinue its distribution.

They pointed out that the incidence rate of blood clots in

Drug regulatory agencies in India are still closely

people who have had the vaccine is lower than that in

examining the data, however, to ensure that there are

the general population.

no causal links.

Written by Minseo Jeong on March 22, 2021 — Fact checked by Alexandra Sanfins, Ph.D

********************************************************************************************************************************

****************************************

PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES – HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THEY HAVE REACHED THE

END OF THEIR LIFE SPAN?

The life span of your personal flotation device (PFD) will

depend upon how much use it has got and how it is cared for.

Peak UK, one of the leading manufacturers in PFDs estimates that

it will last for up to 500 hours use if it is properly cared for.

This equates to approximately 3 – 4 years if used for 3 hours a

week. With regard to shelf life they recommend that a PFD is

replaced (at the latest) 10 years after its date of manufacture. This

date can be found printed inside the PFD.

If the strapping or zips get broken this is also a sign that your

PFD needs replacing, as you will no longer be able to make it fit

correctly to your body so that it does not fall off if you were in a

capsized situation.

Never use your PFD as a cushion! Why? As you sit on the PFD

you are swashing the foam together which in turn leads to the fill

material degrading. Article courtesy of the Irish DBA, Newsletter.

WHO, WHERE, WHY AND WHEN ?

EDBF Members Delegates and the EDBF Council, in Hamburg, Germany, at the EDBF Congress, 11 th Nov 2012.

19 Countries attended the Congress. Picture – Natalia Kravtsova



It’s very strange being sick in the

time of COVID-19. Are these regular

old symptoms, or something more

dangerous? Is this just a bug, or is this

“It”? Am I going to have an easy,

uncomplicated recovery, or am I going to get very ill and

end up in the hospital? Do I let my guard down if I start to

feel better, or is that when the real trouble starts?

That last part is where I was a while ago, wondering -

I’m close to an all-clear. I woke in the middle of night

with belly pain. I didn’t think much of it – it felt like the

aftermath of a questionable taco. Then came a few days

of diarrhea. I still thought it could be anything or nothing,

but in the back of my mind, a tiny worry set in.

We all know the COVID symptoms by now. Diarrhea

and abdominal pain show up in about 1/3 of cases. So, I

backed off my daily walks and resolved to use delivery

services, just in case. Then the fever, headache, and

body aches started.

My tiny back-of-mind worry turned into a sizable

front-of-mind fear. My doc thought my symptoms

warranted testing, but tests in my area were reserved for

high-risk folks and healthcare workers. So, like so many

people with symptoms but no test, I would just have to

wait it out in the dark.

A friend who recently recovered from a long bout with

pneumonia-inclusive coronavirus shared some precious

insight on what had helped (fresh air, lots of sleep, more

water than you possibly think you can drink), what she

wishes she’d known, could she prevent potential blood

clot issues?

Should she get a pulse oximeter and a warning;

despite 8-9 days of difficult physical symptoms, the worst

part of her struggle was mental. It was not knowing what

was happening, or what was going to.

I surprised myself by taking the not-knowing with a

sort of calm at first. But it was less about stoicism, and

more about tired resignation. As the uncertainties had

stacked up , my anxious mind has surrendered to a sort

of acceptance fatigue. The reality was, I just had to be

okay with things not being okay.

One weekend I learned the county had organized a

pop-up community testing event for all. I drove out

there and waited along with 600 or so others, our cars

lined up amusement-ride style.

As I slowly navigated a series of church parking lots,

my acceptance fatigue gave way to something more

visceral.

THE FEARS WE FEAR ABOUT CATCHING COVID-19

Did I really want to know? What would I do with the

information that I wasn’t already doing, except freak out more

loudly? What was worse, knowing? Or not knowing?

My anxiety rushed back with a vengeance as I thought

about what a positive result might mean – about hospitals

and ventilators and strokes (never mind that most cases are

mild). In that moment, I felt desperate to turn my car around.

Closer to the testing tents, volunteers copied down my

identifying info on stickers for a swab tube and a specimen

bag and tucked them under my windshield wiper.

We kept talking to a minimum from behind our

respective masks. I wanted to ask questions, but I didn’t

want to share any more air than was absolutely necessary. I

tried instead to say thank you with my eyes, I probably

looked crazy. Further up, a nurse named Rachel directed me

to pull down my mask so she could swab both my nostrils

seemingly all the way back to the brain. “It will be ok,” she

said from behind her own mask and visor.

The 30 or so volunteers, all decked out in PPE, in the hot

sun, had clearly been out there for some time before the site

opened and would likely be clearing the long line for some

time after the scheduled 7pm. closure. A table of helpers

taking a break near the testing station all waved and masksmiled

at everyone, as we finished up and drove away.

Each one along the way was so patient and kind.

Someone handed me a leaflet on my way out that said I

would receive my results, “as soon as they became

available.” I still don’t know if I have COVID-19. I’m feeling a

little better, and then not, and then a little better again.

Friends check in on me every day: Do I need anything? What

is happening? I try to tell them, but I don’t have the real

answer. I don’t have real answers for much of anything, I’ve

realized.

And I don’t like not knowing, I’ve decided. I don’t like this

waiting. I don’t like feeling out of control. But I love all these

people who are trying to help me. They make “we’re in this

together” so much more real than all those commercials with

somber piano. I see those volunteers in the heat, and my

friends with their info and check-ins and care.

I see my neighbours building a community garden for

anyone to enjoy, and a table down the sidewalk with a sign

reading, “Free hand sanitizer – take one.” It makes me want

to believe Rachel, that it will be ok. I hope it will – for me, and

for all of us. I’ll try my best to help make it that way. I can at

least control whether I’m patient and kind along the way.

Halley Cornell - Mental health advocate and writer, is a

content strategist at WebMD. She has worked for more than a

dozen years in multiple health care settings



THE 1ST ALL ASSAM INTER DISTRICT

DRAGON BOAT RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Championships were successfully organized by the Assam Traditional Sports & Dragon Boat Association

on 10 th January 2021 at the Hazarapar Stadium Lake, Tezpur (near to the Kaziranga National Park).

The Championship were graced with good wishes from the entire Dragon Boat Federation of India family and in

the form of written messages, from other dignitaries, read out by Taher Ahmed, President, Assam Traditional Sports

& Dragon Boat Association, at the Championship’s Inauguration Ceremony, in the presence of the Guests, Paddlers,

Officials and the public, gathered from across the length & breadth of the State of Assam.

In accordance with Government restrictions on COVID-19 and safety guidelines, the Inter District Dragon Boat

Championship was held in six racing lanes over a 200 meters course. A total of 11(eleven) districts of Assam

participated in the Championship. Out of which, 4 (four) Women's and 11(eleven) Men's teams took part.

In the Women's category, Sonitpur District were the Champions in a time of 1:45:72 minutes followed by South

Kamrup (1:46:44) and Sivasagar (1:49:48) Districts. In the Men's event, Morigaon District clinched the title with a

time of 1:27:12, followed by the Districts’ of South Kamrup (1:32:63) and Kamrup (1:33:59).

The Championship were formally inaugurated by Chief Guest Sri Onkarmal Kedia,IIS(Rtd.), Director General,

Sports Authority of Assam, in presence of Sri Dharma Kanta Mili, ACS, Director of Sports & Youth Welfare, Assam,

as Distinguished Guests, besides a host of dignitaries from the Sonitpur District Civil and Police Administration, the

Assam Olympic Association, the Assam Cricket Association and the Veteran Sports & Social activists of Assam.

Sri Anup Kr. Choudhury, General-Secretary, of the Assam Traditional Sports & Dragon Boat Association

welcomed the Guests, Participants and Officials. Along with Dragon Boat Racing, a number of Indigenous Sports

were played and Indigenous Cultural programmes were also performed in the carnival which attracted a large

number of public that made the event a grand success.

The Championship received the kind patronage of the Department of Sports & Youth Welfare, Govt. of Assam;

India tourism(Northeast); Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India; Assam Tourism Development Corporation; State Level

Advisory Committee for Student & Youth Welfare; Assam, Sonitpur District Civil and Police Administration; the

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and State Disaster Response Force, Assam (SDRF) and the active co-operation of the

Assam Olympic Association.

ASSAM TRADITIONAL SPORTS & DRAGON BOAT ASSOCIATION

Taher Ahmed, President : Anup Kr. Choudhury, General-Secretary.

E-mail: tsassam@gmail.com ● Contact No. 98640 21901;98640 53390




March 2021 Edition

Meet the Man Helping Keep Assam's Traditional Boat Race Alive

Taken from an article and Interview by Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, Deputy Editor at The Wire,

Taher Ahmed, one of the forces behind the Assam Traditional Sports and Dragon Boat Association, says that

“the organisation is also giving paddlers a global platform through Chinese Dragon Boat Racing” g”.

Women participants at the Traditional Boat Race during Rongali festival in Guwahati. Credit: The BlueEyes Info

New Delhi: In January 2018, , at Guwahati’s Dighalipukhuri lake, a number of Holong Nau – a type of traditional

boat of Assam – crossed the length amidst excited screams from f spectators watching the boats. The event, a part

of Rongali, an annual cultural festival held in Guwahati, was but a window into a tradition that has long existed in

the state, particularly in lower Assam, but has been on the wane lately, largely due to the absence of patronage.

The Rongali effort was, in fact, a move towards promoting the indigenous sport, which saw as many as 14 men’s

teams and three women’s teams compete for a trophy and cash, with help from the Assam Traditional Sports and

Dragon Boat Association (ATSDBA).

One of the forces behind the association was Taher Ahmed, , a boat race enthusiast and a

long-time promoter of the sport of Rowing R in the State. Ahmed, former General-Secretary of

Assam Rowing Association, is also the Vice- V President of the Dragon Boat Federation of India,

which helps create talent in the country to compete in the Chinese traditional boat race held at

an international level.

In an interview with The Wire, Guwahati-based Ahmed talked about ATSDBA’s birth and its

continuous effort towards reviving the Traditional Boat Races of Assam. Traditionally, lower

Assam has been the hub for the indigenous sport. There are other places in lower Assam, like

Hajo, Chaigaon, Ulaguri, etc. where the boat races take place annually too.

Many teams participate in the competitions and a large number of villagers take part. It is quite

a sight. However, there has been very little institutional patronage. That way, it is a very sad

story. It is continuing only because of the passion of some people, who spend their own money,

time and energy to help keep the indigenous sport alive. Two types of boats are used, Holong

Nau and Khel Nau. The Holong has a crew of 10-12, whilst the Khel Nau, which is longer, can

Taher Ahmed have 30-50 people in a crew.

Credit: Special arrangement



Traditionally, the head of these boats had a Mayur Pokhi (Peacock), but they cost the boat owners more

money, so many of these boats, participating in the competitions these days, have a plain head only to save the

cost. Thankfully, the boat builders are still there, though the production is less, may be one or two.

The paddlers also have a tradition of singing songs in these competitions. The participants in each team are

a mixture of different religions. Normally, before going starting for the race and after finishing it, they sing songs.

Taher Ahmed got involved in the traditional boat races in 1993. He was promoting a mainstream sport, rowing,

which is an Olympic event and thought of quitting it to promote the traditional boat race. Many thought he was mad

to do so. With others enthusiasts he started with an event named Brahmaputra Beach Festival on the river in

Guwahati and organised boat race competitions, with cash prizes to the winning crews. That event got a lot of

attention it was also realised that traditional races were in a pathetic state for want of support.

Villagers were organising the traditional competitions in different places but there was little money in it. At

times, there was no cash award, only a bell metal koloh (pot, usually made in lower Assam town of Sarthebari,

famous for bell metal pottery) would be given away. Also, these organisers did not have boats. The competitors

had to provide their own boats.

Once, during one of the competitions in the 1990s, a

boat broke. Obviously, it was the loss only to the owner,

who lost all his money in a sport which he only pursued

as a passion and it is the passion of the boat owner

which has kept the sport going. Also, who are the

boatmen? They are mostly villagers, engaged as daily

wage earners. So if they agree to join the competition

on behalf of the boat owner, they have to be given

a manoni (honorarium) by the boat owner.

Taher’s organisation paid not only a festival cash award

but also those who participated so that the boat owners

could bring the crews to the competition.

Boat Race during Rongali at Dighali Pukhuri. Credit: The BlueEyes Info

Since then they have organised many competitions. The government kept saying that it would do something

for its promotion, particularly after the Kerala Boat Races became popular and started to appear on the tourist

circuit, but nothing happened.

Taher Ahmed felt “this can’t go on”, so, in 2008, he helped formed the Traditional & Dragon Boat Association,

to not only promote the boat race but also indigenous sports, including Dhop Khel, Taang Guti, Ghila Khel, Egg

fight, Koloh Bhonga, Koloh Loi Dour, Dighal Thengia Dour, etc.

It was also to create talent to take part in Chinese Dragon Boat Racing, being developed by the IDBF, so that

youth from our state could find an international platform to race on, along-side pursuing the traditional Assamese

sport. Dragon Boat Racing is the only traditional sports recognised worldwide through which Holong Nau Boat

Racing can also develop; gain recognition and be promoted as a Traditional Boat sport in India.



from Faye Rallings – Senior Racing Classes

The 3 Senior Racing classes (over 40, over 50 and

over 60 age groups) have been active and highly

competitive at IDBF World Championships, particularly

in the CCWC and similarly at Continental and National

Championships around the globe, for many years. The

Seniors form a large chunk of the dragon boat fraternity.

Granted their performance levels vary tremendously,

from club to club. However one only needs to look at

the results at CCWC’s and also from other

championships to see that the Senior competitions are

very strong and the times very high, from Senior A right

through to Senior C - indeed the C’s are more than

capable of holding their own.

Sadly in 2020 there has been a 360 degree

turnaround in Australia, when the AusDBF sent out a

directive to all its State Members to drop the Senior C’s

and revert to 2 Senior classes. The directive from

AusDBF is that the 2 Senior age groups are 40 to 55

and 55 plus.

It's an indictment of our sport ‘down under’

considering the ever burgeoning numbers of

Seniors.

In many cases the Seniors far outnumber the

Premiers. The 20’s is definitely blue ribbon and should

always remain so in keeping with tradition.

Nevertheless due to the makeup of club numbers, 10’s

make total sense particularly if clubs cannot produce

or sustain 20’s teams and especially if COVID

continues to threaten the numbers.

Yes clubs love to win medals but it’s also about

being able to race fairly & competitively against

your peers and for Seniors, that is over the 3 Racing

Classes.

In Australia, the Seniors situation is not over by

a long shot, we need more dialogue happening and

hopefully enough interest to create a bit of

groundswell. The clubs and individuals who want to

keep this moving forward should stand up and say “no

to the changes”.

It would be interesting to know whether the same

pathway is happening throughout the rest of the

Dragon Boat World.

Faye Rallings, Currumbin DBC.

Editors comments. It is not for me to comment on the Seniors situation in Australia, other than to assume that the

Clubs’ themselves voted on the issue, as it involves a change to their racing structure at National level.

However, I would point out that the question of the ‘Seniors Racing Classes’ was discussed and voted on at the 2019

IDBF Members Congress in Thailand, where exactly the same issue of reducing the Senior Racing Classes from three

to two, was proposed after internal debate by the IDBF Competition & Technical Commission, (Chair-holder, Mel

Cantwell, from Australia) and put forward to the Congress by the IDBF Council.

The Minutes of the 2019 Congress record that with regards to Competition Regulation 2.1.5 (the Senior Class) the

proposal was to have two age groups of 40+ and 55+ for World Nations Championships (WDBRC), with the

three age groups of 40+, 50+ and 60+ being retained for the Club Crew World Championships. The CT&C (Mel

Cantwell) said that there were only 3 countries contesting the Senior B and C in the last few days (IDBF World

Nations Championships) and that one of the reasons for the proposed change is that the competitors are

spending 12-18 months and money travelling, knowing that the competition will have a limited number of crews.

The IDBF President (Mike Thomas) commented that this had always been discussed informally and now was

the time to make a decision. In debate the following points were made from the floor, Athlete's Commission - as

the quality of senior crews are growing, we suggest keeping the categories instead of reducing them. Germany -

there are only a few crews for Senior C in European Club Crews, but there are more at WDBRC. Why should

Senior C be restricted for WDBRC. USA - opposes the change as the number of countries committing to Senior

C is increasing. Currently there is a robust Senior C category; dragon boat is the only sport that embraces the

aging population, if we take a step back, we will not support those who are aging.

In voting on the proposed change to CR 2.1.5 there were 8 votes for and 16 against (1 abstention) so the proposal

was defeated and the regulation remains unchanged at 3 Senior Racing classes for both IDBF World Championships.

It is a surprise, to me, that the Ausdbf, Board of Directors (Chair-holder John Holland), strong supporters of the IDBF,

should introduce in 2020, the very change to the Senior Racing Classes that was defeated at the 2019 IDBF Congress.



TALKING POINT 2.

THE SENIOR RACING CLASS STORY

By Mike MacKeddie-Haslam

In the Drum Beat article, in this DSN, Faye Rallings raises the issue of the change in the number of Senior Racing

Classes at the Australian National Championships and asks the question “It would be interesting to know whether

the same pathway is happening throughout the rest of the Dragon Boat World”.

The short answer to that question is that in most

countries there is great support for the Seniors, as

the defeat of the C&TC proposal (see Drum Beat article)

to change the age ranges, shows. In this regard, maybe

the fact the Mel Cantwell, the C&TC Chair-holder, is also

the AusDBF’s full time Director of Business Services and

Janine Lette (Ausdbf Events Director) who are both IDBF

Race Officials and members of the Ausdbf Board, may

have influenced the change in the Seniors Classes in

Australia. Perhaps they have not given up on the idea of

changing the IDBF Regulations and will propose it again.

As for the Senior Racing Classes, in general, I have

always pushed the development of the Seniors, as in my

mind, as the sport grew and paddlers stayed in it, there

would eventually be a need for senior racing classes and

the number of classes would grow too, as the years

passed, as would the numbers competing in each class.

All good for the sport, with paddlers coming from a fitter

older population throughout the world. I therefore wrote

the competition regulations for the Senior Racing classes,

in advance of their development, from Senior A to Senior

D (over 70) and beyond.

That way we (the IDBF) could introduce each senior

racing class, in stages, as the demand arose but as the

numbers of seniors grew it followed that the race

programme would become longer and more difficult to

write. (The same of course with the Junior Racing

Classes and the U24s). My solution was to combine the

classes with the lower numbers (Senior B & C) but give

them separate medals, until the numbers grew. Once that

happened my proposal was to increase the number of

racing days to accommodate the senior/junior classes or

run a separate championships for them. (This actually

happened first at the Australian Nationals, to

accommodate their growing numbers).

Some of the IDBF Race Officials did not like such

proposals and said it put too much work onto the Race

Officials and that Tail Races etc should be cut out of the

Racing Programme. I had actually devised and written

the Tail Race Plans to ensure that every crew raced at

least twice but normally more, in each competition and

knew exactly where they ranked, at the end of the event,

against every other crew.

One or two of the Race Officials also said to me words to

the effect that 'the seniors, give a bad image to the sport

as other people see Dragon Boating as just an activity for

old people '. The inference was that IDBF Championships

should be for young, fit competitors that look good on TV

or in pictures for the media.

They saw the Senior Racing Classes as a problem to

get rid of and not a problem to solve

My answer to the ‘pressure on Race Officials’ and to

reducing the number of races argument, was to have two

sets of officials, each working for 2 or 3 days each over a

longer championships period. The C&TC did not like this

idea at all but eventually accepted that, with the ever

increasing number of competitors (Seniors included) a

longer championships period was needed. This is a

situation that we are also now facing at European

Championships , as numbers increase but again certain

Race Officials are coming up with the same arguments

against longer events and complicated race programmes.

Another pointer in the direction of 'make life easier

for race programming and the officials', is the recent 'new'

IDBF Race Plans that the IDBF have just published.

These effectively get rid of the Tail Races when the

entries in a competition class are relatively high. This

means that after the repechage races, crews just drop

out of the competition, because there are no Tail Races

and so the majority of the crews get two races and just

those going to the Semis get more.

Anyway, the question Faye also asked is what to do

about things and my answer was that it is down to the

paddlers and their clubs to stand up and say NO to

changes that they do not agree with or most

importantly, have not been consulted about.

We are all volunteers running our great sport and all

views should be heard, respected and acted upon. You

get who you elect. There are over 70 IDBF Members but

only 36 were represented at the 2019 IDBF Congress,

which illustrates the interest there is in who governs the

sport. The problem, of course, is that most paddlers are

not into the 'politics' of the sport, they just want to race.

Therefore it is very important for all those running our

Sport, at all levels, to hold to account those elected to

work on behalf of the paddlers – the ‘silent majority’.

In that respect the 2021 IDBF Congress in Hong Kong

sees the election of the IDBF Vice-Presidents and the

Secretary General, who form over 50% of the IDBF

Executive Committee. The Executive effectively make

most of the policy proposals and govern the sport.

So it is extremely important that paddlers and clubs

at all levels, take an interest in who the members of the

IDBF Executive are, what they have done during their

present term of office and for the IDBF Members’

Delegates to put forward the views of their paddlers at

the next IDBF Congress in Hong Kong in November 2021

– see Talking Point.1



Are you interested in becoming a coach? Do you want to become a better paddler?

Sign up for this course at: panamdragonboat.com




March 2021 Edition

The primary goal of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (IBCPC) is to ensure that International Breast Cancer Survivors

(BCS) participation festivals and international competitive events are raising awareness about life after a diagnosis of and treatment for

breast cancer. The IBCPC is an Affiliated Commission of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF).

Articles courtesy of the IBCPC Newsletter “Keep Abreast with IBCPC”.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

As COVID continues to keep a grasp on our lives and elections have taken place in many

countries, let us hope that here is an appetite for change as we move forward in 2021.

We are all very excited to have two new directors join us on the Steering Committee. Linda and

JoAnn will be working with the committee to implement the IBCPC Strategic Plan.

They will be focusing on the areas of promotion, outreach and the pathway for team support.

The bio’s for Linda Kuska and JoAnn Moore can be found on our website at ibcpc.com.

Despite the fact that many of our teams cannot be on the water due to COVID restrictions, the IBCPC SC will be

carrying on with our work and are very excited by the prospects of continuing to support existing teams. I

mportantly we continue to spread the knowledge that “exercise is medicine” and that we are committed to promoting

the establishment and development of breast cancer dragon boat paddling through inclusiveness and participation.

Stay safe, continue to look after yourselves and each other. Meri Gibson, IBCPC President. .

CHINA’S BCS PADDLERS SET THEIR SIGHTS ON KARAPIRO, NEW ZEALAND 2023

from Beirong Xiong (IBCPC China Rep)

As spirited new paddlers talk up their joy of dragon boating with family, friends and the

media, a growing audience in China are following their accounts through social media and

online publications.

“Our goal is to make more breast cancer survivors in China aware of the benefits of

the dragon boat lifestyle,” says IBCPC China representative Beirong Xiong.

“The prospect of these survivor teams from mainland China paddling at Karapiro in 2023

is very exciting. I’m sure that many millions of women in China will learn about their

experience and see that breast cancer survivors are living full and vibrant lives through

mutual support and exercise.”

Beirong says word of these

new teams is quickly catching

the interest of China’s local,

regional and national media, , bringing their stories to light in a

country where breast cancer dragon boating is still a very new

phenomenon.

In the mountain city of Kunming, in Yunnan Province, breast

cancer survivors made history last October staging the first

ever all breast cancer survivor dragon boat festival in mainland

China.

CCTV News, China’s most watched nightly news programme brought national exposure to the team during the

Duan Wu festival.



Shanghai Dragon Sisters. Suffering from cancer is unfortunate, but

it is also a blessing to be able to reawaken the love of life, and create

a healthy lifestyle with a group of sisters through this experience!

The Peisheng training club sits on the Zhang Ji Bang River, where

the scenery on both sides includes high rise buildings, trees, noisy

crowds and a quiet place where you can hear birds.

Whenever the Dragon Sisters work together, shouting the same

slogans, waves split the water and push the boat forward. The daily

worries, stress, pressures and fears are thrown away with the waves.

Coaches helping the team improve their technique.

When we rest, everyone leans their paddles against the boat's side, enjoying the

rippling waves, straightening their hair, drinking from their thermoses, patting each

other's backs and exchanging on their technique.

Several coaches have instructed us. Some are strong and powerful, some are young

and handsome, but they are all very kind, funny, dedicated and meticulous. At the

beginning, our physical strength, posture and rhythm were not good. The coaching

started with small group sessions. Little by little we made progress. With

encouragement from the coaches, our Shanghai Dragon Sisters were very happy and

continued to progress.

Last summer, Shanghai Dragon Sisters attended two local dragon boat festivals. Our

practices really paid off, and we saw how much more work we had to do to improve our

strength and technique. We learned a lot from the dragon boat competitions and under

the guidance of our coach, we have seen our technique and endurance really come

together. We are like a different team.

The temperatures had a significant drop in December and everyone had doubts about how to go forward. But the

difficulties were no match for our love of dragon boating. No matter where people are in the world, 2020 was a difficult

year indeed but despite these difficulties, the Shanghai Dragon Sisters are celebrating our achievements and discussing

preparations for New Zealand 2023. We look forward to paddling with each other in beautiful New Zealand.

Beijing Dragon Sisters. Since the beginning of last year, due to COVID-19 pandemic

restrictions, Beijing’s Dragon Sisters have no longer been able to sail through the water

and cut the waves. Everyone could only workout in their own apartments and greatly

missed the opportunity to exchange and communicate face-to-face.

Then we were so happy to discover the Central Lake docks at the Olympic Park. From

July to November the Beijing Dragon Sisters held eight practices at the Olympic Park

under the leadership of captain Wang Xiuzhu and coach Xiao Lang.

We cherished every poolside training opportunity and worked very hard to overcome all

our difficulties. We not only improved our dragon boat skills in preparation for the 2023

Participatory Dragon Boat Festival in New Zealand, but also strengthened our physical

fitness to prevent illness from the virus. We dragon sisters enjoy the happiness that each

dragon boat training brings.

Paddling poolside is a bit deeper than padding in our dragon boat and water resistance is

much greater. But this did not diminish our determination. Beijing sisters treasure every training opportunity, we keep our

focus and good form in every stroke. In each training session the coach and team captain always try to motivate the

paddlers, focussing on different techniques, looking forward and staying in sync. We encourage each other and always

have smiles on our faces. We have been following coach Beirong’s fitness programme, checking in and posting our

workout results on our team Wechat group. This is how the Beijing Dragon Sisters face and overcome challenges

Our goal is to be the first BCS dragon boat team from China to attend an IBCPC world dragon boat event. We will be

proud to attend the 2023 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival in New Zealand.


Dragon Sport News - Emagazine “An Independent Voice for Dragon Boat Sport”

March 2021 Edition

“AROUND

THE WORLD WITH ABREAST IN A BOAT”

In Canada, Abreast in a Boat, the first breast cancer survivor team to be

established and a founding member of IBCPC, is setting off on an adventure

around the globe. It is their way of keeping fit and connected to their paddlers

during the pandemic as they patiently wait to get back on the water.

Get in touch if you wish to join them somewhere along the journey they are on.

HERE’S WHEN: Start Date: 15 th February 2021. End Date: 31 st May 2021.

GET ACTIVE. Walk, run, stroll, jog, cycle, swim, kayak, paddleboard, etc. As long as you can track your distance, IT

COUNTS! Have fun and stay fit for the upcoming season, while increasing member engagement, building teamwork and

strengthening crew camaraderie.

Be active, stay connected nected and make new connections by adventuring Around the World with Abreast in A Boat is a

way of engaging with Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Teams around the world.

Did you know that it takes 37528 kms to go around the world? Let’s travel around the world together (virtually) while

we stay active.

HERE’S HOW: Get moving! As you do your personal work out, keep a record of your kms. Designate a Crew Liaison

person to tally results. Every Friday, send the total kms you’ve accumulated throughout the week to your Crew Liaison.

Crew Liaison people: Please send all your crew’s weekly totals to Debbie Murphy at homes@murphytimmis.com

Abreast in A Boat , will tally everyone’s kms every week and add it into our Adventure Around the World Map, below.

Every month, we’ll check where we are on the map, find a team close to it and set up a zoom call with them and

celebrate the countries we stop in by honouring their traditions of food, beverages and country colours.

Daily and Weekly Totals: Goal kms: 37528. Total Days: 120 Days. Daily Target: 313 kms. . Weekly: 2192 kms

What an exciting way to stay fit and connected at the same time! Let’s get active. As you work out, take a selfie and

share it on your social media and use our hash-tags #AIABAdventureAroundTheWorld and #AbreastInABoat.

We’ll be on social media too! One of our goals for this campaign is to share our cause to the world. So, we’ll be

sharing our progress on social media. Are you following us on social media yet? If not, follow us on Facebook.

Every week, we’ll update the map to show

the map.

our progress. Everyone will have access to the map. By all means, share



THE PINKIES ARE BACK' is an inspirational and heart-warming feature film, following a group of extraordinary women

on their journey to rebuild a dragon boating team despite some having never held a paddle before. The women are united

by previously beating breast cancer, and together strengthened in their attempt to win gold at the Auckland Regional’s.

The bond, love and laughs between these charismatic larger-than-life women will be a must see on cinema screens.

'The Pinkies Are Back' is Kiwi Burd Film’s latest and is released on 18 th March 2021, in more than 60 cinemas

throughout New Zealand. Say no more! Go see this film!

Official Facebook page ; https://www.facebook.com/ThePinkiesAreBack

Watch the official trailer ; https://youtu.be/04p8si7gAYY



CULTURE CORNER

“The Independent Voice of Dragon Boat Sport” March 2021 Edition

WHY DRAGON BOATS ? WHY DRUMS ?

Although dragon boats have been around for about 5000 years or even longer, the legend of Qu Yuan is

the one that has spread the tradition as we know it today. Qu Yuan wrote a poem called Li Sao (The

Lament), still regarded today as a model for classical Chinese poetry. Some legends say the new Chin

Emperor was angered by the poem and ordered Qu Yuan into exile. Unwilling to leave and heartsick, Qu

Yuan decided to drown himself.

The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the Qu Yuan

(c. 340–278 BC) during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty. Qu Yuan was banished for opposing the Chu

alliance with Qin and even accused of treason Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair

and Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of

poetry and other legends describe Qu Yuan as a former adviser to the Chu who was sent into exile and then wrote the Li

Sao as a kind of farewell letter before he drowned himself full of agony because of all the betrayal, but is the QuYuan

legend a combination of stories about his own death and that of another man Wu Zixu.

Despite the modern popularity of the Qu Yuan origin theory, in the former territory of the state of Wu the dragon boat

festival commemorated Wu Zixu, who died in 484 BC, some 60 years before Qu Yuan was born. Wu Zixu was a loyal

advisor whose advice was ignored by the king to the detriment of the kingdom. Wu Zixu was forced to commit suicide by

the King Fuchai and his body thrown into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month. In places such as Suzhou, Wu Zixu

is remembered during the Duanwu Festival even to this day. Although the Wu Zixu story sounds a bit familiar, for us, the

dragon boat races symbolize the events surrounding Qu Yuan and the attempts to rescue him from the Milo river. The

question is, what is the connection between Qu Yuan and the dragons?

There are also different versions about the reaction of the fishermen and people with boats when they heard about Qu

Yuan’s drowning. In one way or another, all versions include fishermen and people with boats rushing out into the river. If

someone is drowning and needs rescuing, you wouldn’t think about what kind of boat you were going to use, you would

just take the first one available, such as fishing boats. So why are the boats now called dragon boats and where do the

Drums fit in? There are two possibilities, and in combination they might explain why the boats are regarded as dragons.

In his poem Li Sao, Qu Yuan describes his journey from earth to heaven as riding on a dragon. It may be a mark of

respect to conduct the annual races on dragons. In addition, the dragon is the highest and strongest being people in

China can imagine. In the past, Chinese emperors were the highest and strongest men, keeping law and order in the

country as well as defending it from attackers. This made them a dragon of the people.

More widely, dragons are associated with good spirits that always strive to win. Turning boats into symbolic dragons may

have stimulated a winning mentality in the paddlers. Combining the above with the fact that in China Qu Yuan is revered

as much as Confucius and both perhaps even more than their emperors, is why the boats turned into dragon boats.

As for the drums, well in the search for Qu Yuan the legend tells us that to prevent the fish from eating his corpse, the

people in the boats hit drums and made other noises to scare the fish away. It appears therefore, that the drums were

simply there to make a noise, and that’s all. The reality of history would tell us that turning normal fishing boats into

dragon boats must have developed later, together with the tradition of competitive racing and that the Drums on the boats

were probably used for communication purposes by the crews in the heat of a race.

What-ever the truth or myth of the Dragon Boat and its Drum, we simply have to say a big and heartfelt THANK YOU to

the Chinese people for giving us the wonderful sport of dragon boat racing.

HUANGQI DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

One of the largest dragon boat races in Dali Nanhai. Since the

Daoguang Period of the Qing Dynasty, there have been dragon

boat races on the fifth day of the first lunar month.

Located in the Pearl River Delta Area, which gave birth to

Foshan's dragon boat culture, a pioneer in Guangdong and even

in China.

Yu Hanqiao, Secretary-General of the Chinese Longzhou

Association praised the dragon boat races, as they represent the

spirit of people to work as a team for a better life together.

Left Picture. Location: Huangqi Longmu Temple of Dali Nanhai.

Source: Newsgd.com



THE YANBU DRAGON BOAT IN NANHAI IS 589 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR.

With a total length of 36.8 metres (not including the head and tail) and a weight of nearly 4 tons.

It is made of Belian (a kind of

wood) and can accommodate 86

people. It is one of the oldest

Dragon Boats in China.

The Centurys’ old dragon boat is no longer involved in the

Dragon Boat Race. It only appears in the dragon boat

parade. The dragon boat’s head and tail are preserved in the

Yanbu Huaguang Temple, while the dragon boat’s body is

kept in Sanxin Village, in Yanbu. Source: Newsgd.com

DSN WISHES YOU ALL WELL, IN THE YEAR OF THE OX - TAKE CARE AND KEEP SAFE

2021 is a year of the Ox, which started on 12th February 2021, Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day and ending on

the 31 st January 2022. An Ox year occurs every 12 years in the Chinese Calendar but there are in fact five different

types of Ox Years’, namely Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. 2021 is a metal Ox year, the last one was in 1961.

If you were born in a year of the Ox, your lucky colours are;- White, Yellow and Green. People born under the

sign of the Ox, have an honest nature, with character traits of diligence, dependability, strength and determination.

Having great patience and a desire to make progress, the Ox achieve their goals by consistent effort. They are not

much influenced by others or the environment.

Before taking any action, an Ox will have a definite detailed, to which they will apply their physical strength and

faith in their own abilities. As a result, people of the Ox zodiac sign often enjoy great success.

Their weakness is in communication. They are not good at communicating with others, sometimes thinking it is

not even worthwhile to exchange ideas. They tend to persist in doing things according to their own ideas and will

stick to their own ways, with a great stubbornness.

Female Ox are traditionally, faithful wives, who attach great importance to their children's education. They achieve

career success easily through their strong personality.

Male Ox are strongly patriotic, have ideals and ambitions for life, and attach importance to their family and work.



BLAST FROM THE PAST (AND PRESENT)

THE ICF INCURSION INTO DRAGON BOAT SPORT

As the guy who started the Dragon Boat Sport ball rolling, I guess you could say that I am the one responsible for

the ICF incursion into Dragon Boating and to a certain extent that is true, as I first offered the ICF the opportunity to

develop Dragon Boat Sport, under their banner and they turned it down. So why are they involved in the sport now ?

Well it is a long story that goes back to 1998 and I cover it in detail in my book ‘Racing the Dragon – the first 40

Years’, which will be published to mark the 30 th Anniversary of the IDBF, later this year. To try and answer the question

I will share with you extracts from the ICF Chapter in my book.

Serio Orsi, the ICF President until 1998, had been very

supportive of the IDBF since its foundation and saw the

growth of Dragon Boating as a good thing for the general

development of the paddle sports’ world. Sergio’s

successor was Ulrich Feldhoff, who had become involved

in canoeing when he was the Treasurer of the Duisberg

International Canoe & Kayak Regatta.

As the IDBF and ICF had such a good informal

relationship with the ICF during Sergio Orsi’s

Presidency, I wrote to Ulrich, in November 1998,

suggesting that we should meet to discuss common

areas of interest and possible working relationships. He

replied positively and wrote:-

“With pleasure I agree to you that we should speak

about common interests as soon as possible. I think

that we now have the right time to establish a good

future”.

A meeting was arranged, after some delay, for the 26 th

June 1999, in Duisburg, Germany, between the ICF

Board, myself and Manfred Russ, EDBF Vice-Chairman.

However, in April 1999 the ICF Board declared that

Dragon Boating and other paddle sports were to be

recognised as disciplines of ‘canoeing’ and issued a

Press Release stating that the decision was taken on the

advice of the General Association of International Sports

Federations (GAISF).

This was a completely unexpected, considering the

scheduled meeting with the ICF in June. I checked with

the GAISF General-Secretary about the ‘Madrid

Declaration’ and he assured me that GAISF had not

‘advised’ the ICF on what should or should not be a

canoeing discipline. Later it transpired that earlier that

year the GAISF General-Secretary had in fact asked the

ICF for a definition of ‘canoeing’ in order for the GAISF

Council to assess an application for GAISF membership

from another paddle sport federation – not the IDBF.

The definition given by the ICF, was that

‘canoeing’ was ‘the propulsion of a canoe type vessel by

a forward facing crew using either a single or double

bladed paddle’

This definition, of course, equally applied to other

paddled water craft, not practised as ‘canoeing’ but on

the basis of the ICF’s own definition, GAISF rejected the

other paddle sport’s membership application and advised

the ICF that they would respect the view that any paddle

sport that fitted the ICF’s definition could be deemed to

be ‘canoeing’.

The June 1999 meeting with the ICF was informative

and friendly, with a willingness on both sides to confront

any problems caused by the GAISF’s support of the ICF’s

definition of ‘canoeing’. Feldhoff assured us that it was

not the ICF’s intention to ‘take over’ Dragon Boating, the

message should have been, that the ICF would like to

represent all paddle sports in front of multi-sports

organisations but particularly with the International

Olympic Committee (IOC).

This was of course a very different situation and my

response was to say that the IDBF would be happy to be

represented by the ICF in front of the IOC, as this would

offer the easiest and quickest route to IOC recognition

and the Olympic Games. After-all, why would the IDBF

want to waste time, money and effort in seeking IOC

recognition, if this could be achieved by being an

affiliated organisation or associate member of the ICF.

Feldhoff’s reply to this was that for the ICF to represent

Dragon Boating, the IDBF would have to disband as an

international federation and become an ICF Commission.

The Commission would receive minimal funding from the

ICF but would be free to raise its own funds and organise

events.

Our reaction to this was to say that as the IDBF had

been established for more than nine years and most

dragon boaters were not ‘canoeists’, why would they

want to disband an organisation that they had formed

themselves, to develop their sport and represent them in

the wider sports world and then join the ICF.

My view, supported by Manfred, was that the main

areas for discussion should be the ‘inward’ organisation

of dragon boating at national and international level and

the ‘outward’ representation of dragon boating with other

sporting bodies, such as the GAISF and the IOC.




We felt that the former could only be discussed as equal partners but that the later was for full and open discussion

At the IDBF Members Congress, held in Nottingham on 27 th August 1999, at the time of the IDBF’s 3 rd World Nations

Championships, the Delegates passed resolutions to the effect that:-

“ It is not appropriate for the ICF to recognise Dragon Boating, with participation figures in excess of 40 million

world-wide, as a new discipline of canoeing. …………The IDBF is willing to conduct all types of co-operation

with the ICF on the basis of equality between two independent sports”.

Following the IDBF Congress, in September 1999, I wrote a paper called the ‘Spirit of Qu Yuan’, which was circulated

to all IDBF and ICF Members, as well as the respective Councils of the GAISF, IDBF and ICF. In the paper I set out the

views and resolutions of the IDBF regarding the Madrid Declaration and the IDBF’s position with regard to any future

collaboration with the ICF.

Following a further meeting between the federations’ held in Amsterdam, on the 12 th May 2000, in August I sent a

letter to Ulrich Feldhoff, suggesting ways of resolving the situation. Ulrich again responded in a positive way when in a

letter dated 3 November 2000, he wrote:-

“ I received your letters. Your proposals are interesting to me and a good basis for further discussion with the

aim to find a solution which will be on good terms

Despite this positive letter, the minutes of the November 2000 ICF Congress, in Warsaw, recorded that:-

“The ICF President informed the delegates about the standing of talks with the IDBF. The ICF Executive

Committee has had many talks and negotiations with the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). After

positive talks at the beginning the IDBF has now positions unacceptable for the ICF.

Also shown in Feldhoff’s report to the Warsaw Congress was the statement that:-

“The acceptance of dragon boating, rafting and outrigger has to be confirmed by the congress”.

However, there is no record in the 2000 ICF Congress

Minutes of any formal proposal being put to the

Delegates before the Congress or any vote accepting the

adoption of Dragon Boating or any other paddle sport, at

that Congress. A few years later in opposing the IDBF’s

application for GAISF Membership, the ICF Secretary-

General (Simon Toulson) informed the GAISF that the

2000 ICF Congress had passed a motion to adopt

Dragon Boating as an ICF Canoeing Discipline, despite

the fact is that the ICF Congress did not adopt any other

paddle sports at the 2000 Congress.

The April 1999 Madrid Declaration and the

subsequent push, in 2000 and 2001, to subsume

Dragon Boating as an ICF discipline, marked the start

of what has become known, within Dragon Boating, as

the ‘ICF incursion’ but it was only a statement of intent in

1999, as the ICF had neither the dragon boats or

experienced officials to organise events.

By the end of 2001, the federations had agreed to

disagree. The IDBF was firm in its opinion that the ICF

had never been actively involved in organising the sport,

which was not canoeing. The ICF’s opinion, on the other

hand, was that the ‘dragon boat’ was just another type of

‘canoe’ and should come under the ICF’s jurisdiction.

With this apparent impasse between the federations,

I suggested to the IDBF Council, that we should seek

Mediation with the ICF, through the Court of Arbitration

for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. The IDBF Council agreed

and so did the ICF Board. On the 22 nd April 2002, the

Federations met at the CAS in Lausanne. The Mediation

was chaired by Denis Oswald, a Swiss lawyer and the

President of the International Rowing Federation (FISA)

but unfortunately the Mediation was unsuccessful, as

neither side would change their basic positions.

Following the failure of the Mediation, the IDBF

Council proposed CAS Arbitration, which is the stage

where the CAS makes a binding decision in favour of one

side or the other. The ICF did not agree to Arbitration but

suggested, as an alternative, that the ICF and IDBF meet

once again, to discuss the issues between them.

The IDBF Council agreed to this meeting, which took

place in Amsterdam (2003) and a draft joint agreement of

co-operation and understanding was formulated for

further discussion by a Joint Working Committee (JWC).

The first meeting of the JWC, was held in May 2003 in

Madrid, with myself and Manfred Russ representing the

IDBF and José Perurena, the then ICF Secretary-General

and Volker Bernardi representing the ICF.

We finalized the 2003 Joint Agreement of Understanding

(JA), the key points of which were that the ICF

acknowledged the standing of the IDBF as the

established independent International Federation for

dragon boat sport and confirmed that the decision to

include Dragon Boat Racing as an ICF discipline, was

expressly taken for the purpose of providing Dragon Boat

services for ICF affiliated National Federations.

This meant that the ICF accepted the status of the IDBF

and that the ICF dragon boat racing was only for its own

Members’ and not in opposition to the IDBF.

A second meeting of the JWC was held in the UK and

many areas of co-operation discussed but subsequently

the ICF refused to sign the meeting minutes.

In April 2004, Jose Perurena Lopez (who became the ICF

President in 2008) informed the IDBF that the ICF had

decided to officially end the co-operation between the

ICF. In addition the ICF withdrew the ICF representatives

from the Joint Working Committee (JWC), and thus any

further dialogue with the IDBF was ended




In 2002 the ICF had still not established a Dragon

Boat Commission but that changed, when Francois

Ryfel, who was the guiding light of Swiss dragon boating

and a member of the EDBF Council, approached me at a

championships in Rome and told me that he was going to

join the ICF Dragon Boat Commission.

Francois said that he was not happy with the way the

EDBF and IDBF, were running things and that for sure

paddlers would flock to an ICF Championships, because

an ‘ICF Medal’ was worth more in prestige, that an IDBF

medal. When I asked him what he was unhappy about,

he would not say, only that the ICF would do a better job

of running the sport than the IDBF.

It was not until August 2005, under Francois’s direction,

that the ICF organised its first Dragon Boat

Championships which were held in Germany, in

opposition to the IDBF World Championships held in

Berlin, that year.

Since then the ICF has regularly held ICF Championships

but none have attracted the number of participants or

Countries that IDBF Championships have, so in practical

terms ICF Dragon Boating is not a threat to the IDBF.

However, at multi-sports level, the ICF has tried since

2005, to prevent the IDBF from gaining GAISF

Membership and IOC recognition, which has resulted in

‘friction’ between the IDBF and ICF Members.

During the next few years, whilst attempting to block

the IDBF from becoming a GAISF Member, the ICF

continued to oppose the IDBF at national level by

encouraging ICF Members to claim Dragon Boating as

‘canoeing’ in their own countries, a prime example of this

being the attempted ‘take over’ of the sport by the

Philippines Canoe and Kayak Federation, from the

Philippines Dragon Boat Federation, also covered in

detail in my book.

In 2008, in an attempt to encourage the ICF to work with

all other independent paddle sports, I proposed that we

set up an Association of International Paddle Sport

Federations (AIPSF). The AIPSF was formed in

November and, I was elected as the AIPSF President

and Alan Van Caubergh, as its Treasurer.

The object of the AIPSF was to discuss ways in which

the Federations,’ might work together, discuss areas of

common interest and gain formal recognition from multisports

organizations, such as the GAISF and the IOC.

The ICF view was that it was already the paddle sports

representative, within the multi-sport organizations. The

AIPSF did not accept that the ICF had any legitimate

authority over any paddle sport with its own International

Federation and felt that the IDBF’s membership of the

GAISF was proof that the Olympic Committee did not

accept the ICF’s argument that all paddle sports were

automatically IOC recognized ‘canoeing’ disciplines.

After further correspondence with the ICF, a joint

meeting, hosted by the new ICF President José

Perurena, was held in Madrid. This meeting was very

positive and resulted in a Draft Agreement of Cooperation

between the ICF and the AIPSF. However, this

Agreement was not accepted by the ICF Board and so

was not implemented.

Now over 10 years later, despite the declared intention

of José Perurena in 2009, to work in harmony with other

Paddle Sports, it would seem that the ICF Board has not

changed its general view that all paddle sports are

‘canoeing’.

Despite this, the door to further dialogue with the ICF

remained open and still does but the question remains

about why Ulrich Feldhoff, consistently said in front of the

IDBF how much he wanted to find a good working

relationship but at ICF Board and ICF Congress, level his

words and actions were the opposite and were attempts

to try and persuade the sporting world and the GAISF

and IOC, in particular, that dragon boating was a

canoeing discipline, that should be the ICFs to control.

This was quite bizarre considering the support for

Dragon Boating and the IDBF, offered by Sergio Orsi,

when he was the ICF President, which he re-confirmed

in a letter in 2001, presented to the GAISF Council.

In this I have always said and still do, that it matters

little what the ICF or IDBF ‘officials’ think about the

governance of Dragon Boating. It is the paddlers who

decide which organisation they will support and who the

representatives to govern the sport should be. In the

years since the paddlers have shown, through the

increasing number of federations joining the IDBF and

the ever increasing number of participants at IDBF and

EDBF Championships, where their loyalties lie.

At an ICF Board Meeting, held in March 2018, ICF

Vice-President, Thomas Konietzko, said:-

"The ICF had to position itself to be the body looking after

all forms of sport involving a paddle and where

participants faced forwards. One proposal is to have

‘associate memberships’, open to all sporting federations

which deal with canoeing activities. They will have their

own member federations, be able to determine their own

membership fees. The long-term goal would be to have a

unified federation covering all canoe-related activity”.

Shades of Feldhoff and the AIPSF. Nothing much

changes. It is indeed a great pity that there are still those

at the highest level within the ICF, who appear not want

to hear the voice of Dragon Boaters or act upon their

wishes.

The full story of the ICF incursion and the IDBF’s

journey into GAISF Membership and IOC recognition,

are all covered, in depth, in my forthcoming book

‘Racing the Dragon – the first 40 Years



DRAGON BOAT INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER

“NEWS FROM DRAGON BOAT SPORT”

EGYPT FOUNDS ITS DRAGON BOAT FEDERATION

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At a boat club of one of Cairo hotels

overlooking the Nile River, Egyptian officials announced the founding of

the Egyptian Dragon Boat Federation (EyDBF), which is expected to

further ties between Egypt and China through sport.

Meanwhile in the river, three dragon boats with ten of paddlers on-board

were racing and greeting the attendees with cheers and drums.

The EyDBF has recently been approved by the Egyptian Sports

Minister. "Sport is a soft power that can bring nations together,"

EyDBF chief Nader Roshdy told Xinhua during the event, highlighting the "positive effect" of practicing the Chinese

popular sport in Egypt on the relations between the two peoples.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said

"As we celebrate today the official recognition of dragon boat in

Egypt, we celebrate at the same time the communication and

integration between the two cultures,"

Dragon Boat Racing was established in Egypt about five years

ago, by Ehab Gouda and his wife Mary Lai, from Hong Kong, who

was interested in the sport and co-founded a dragon boat academy

in Egypt. Since 2016, Gouda and Mary, have organized a number of

local and international dragon boat festivals in Egypt.

"Founding the EyDBF was a dream that has come true, the

sport will act like "a bridge" between Egypt and China." said Gouda.

Iman Negm, Under-Secretary of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, who attended the event, described the Egyptian-

Chinese relations as "special," commending the growing cultural exchange between the two countries. Egyptian dragon

boat athletes were all very enthusiastic about the establishment of the EyDBF.

"We have been looking forward to the establishment of an Egyptian federation for dragon boating for years,

and we're happy it has finally come true," said Tarek Sami, a 26-year-old athlete, on one of the dragon boats.

Marwa Mohamed, who acted as the team's drummer, described dragon boating as "a very beautiful and enjoyable sport

that teaches cooperation and unity", She has been Dragon Boating for three years. "Dragon boating is not just a matter

of sport, but it is a matter of cultural exchange and many other things," she added.

RACING THE DRAGON, THE FIRST 40 YEARS

Due to delays caused by Covid-19, it is my intention to publish ‘Racing the Dragon’ in late 2021, as an Ebook

but also in hard copy. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the book in any of the formats shown below

then please drop me an email at mikehaslam@aol.com and I will reserve you a copy. Prices will be kept low,

dependent on the type of copy- ranging from approx 10 Usd to 25 Usd.

EBook Electronic Copy – text plus limited pictures

Printed Hard Copy – fully illustrated pictures

Mike MacKeddie-Haslam.

IDBF Founder & Honorary President


Dragon Sport News - Emagazine “An Independent Voice for Dragon Boat Sport”

March 2021 Edition

GREAT BRITAIN.

THE BRITISH DRAGON BOAT RACING ASSOCIATION

UP-DATE ON CORONAVIRUS Following the government's announcement of the gradual

relaxing of restrictions associated with the Coronavirus pandemic, a return to outdoor

sport commences on the 29 March 2021. In accordance with the BDA return to Training plan,

clubs can resume training up to phase 2 (14 paddlers in a 20 person boat plus a helm). For further

information/updates go to the BDA Coronavirus/covid-19 page, which links to the BDA Return to Training Plan.

TEAM GB. Great Britain has been involved in international competition since the inauguration of the

first World Championships held in Yue Yang, China in 1995. GB Squads have competed in every

European and World Championships held since then.

GB Senior A Recruiting. Despite all the challenges and uncertainty, the GB Senior A squad is pressing on the BDA

BNTS Senior Team Coaches have refocused their efforts a little, into the “2021Fast Forwards Programme”. When

competitions next go ahead the Coaches aim to be ready. If the racing season is delayed again they will focus on a

positive future by keeping people motivated and involved.

If you are a Senior A paddler, eligible, interested and prepared to move forwards with the Senior S Coaches to

create the future, then please check out the video on the BDA website and get in contact.

CLUB FEES WAIVED.

Due to the corona virus pandemic, some Clubs are facing a reduction in membership and

income. The BDA Executive Committee is aware that this is not the same for all clubs. Club affiliation fees (£400 per

club) were due for payment t on 01 January 2021. The BDA Executive have now waived these fees for all clubs c that

were members in 2020 and will extend their BDA Club Membership to the end of 2021. The Executive will also refund

the clubs that have paid for 2021. . For clubs that were not members last year, please get in touch with the BDA to

discuss your membership for this year.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************

UGANDA.

THE UGANDA DRAGON BOAT FEDERATION

In 2013 four IDBF Development Boats were sent from In addition a Uganda National Dragon Boat Race series

Cyprus, to the Uganda Dragon Boat Federation, to help was started, where teams raced and qualified for regional

develop Dragon Boating in Uganda. However, the and international ional events/regattas. The first races were held

UDBF were unable to pay the import taxes on the in March 2019 but due to Covid19,

no races were held in

boats, which stayed in a bonded warehouse, until 2018. 2020. It is hoped that racing can start again later in 2021,

At this time, the UDBF underwent organisational Covid-19 situation permitting, with the Annual General

changes, , with different people elected by the dragon Assembly (AGM) planned for June 2021 and if possible,

boat clubs, to run the Federation. Through one of these Uganda will enter the 2021 IDBF World Championships.

clubs, the Nalubaale Water Sports Club, the Federation Despite all this development and activity by the UDBF, the

applied for the boats and the Uganda Revenue Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), have refused to accept

Authority (URA), released them. The Federation then that Dragon Boating is an independent sport. They still

repaired them, and started using them to develop and believe that dragon boating is organized and comes under

promote the dragon boat sport in Uganda.

the International Canoe Federation (ICF). Given the

In early 2018, the Federation applied for registration contemporary development of Dragon Boat Sport, S under

as a National Governing body and submitted plans to the IDBF and its Continental Federations, this belief should

develop and promote the sport to the National Council never be entertained, , within sport.

of Sports (NCS). The NSC after satisfying itself about The UDBF have been in close contact with colleagues in

the Federation’s credentials, granted the UDBF Kenya about developing Dragon Boating there and with the

certification as Dragon Boating’s National Body.

newly formed Egyptian Dragon Boat Federation, over the

Since then, the Federation have has organised planned 2022 African n Dragon Boat Championships.

three main regattas, , together with the Chinese To contact the Ugandan Federation, email Secretarycommunity

munity in Uganda, with representative teams from General, Deogratias Lukyamuzi, , rukyamuzi@live.com; or

China, competing alongside local teams. The best President, Solomon Muwonge, solomuwonge@gmail.com

times recorded, in the Premier Open Races have been or at ugandadragons@gmail.com

00:43:15 for the 200 metres and 00:52:42 for the 500

metres.



IRELAND

THE IRISH DRAGON BOAT ASSOCIATION

We are not sure what events in 2021 we will be allowed to hold, but we are optimistic that

some should happen in the second half of 2021. Below are the current PROVISIONAL dates

for next year. We will confirm as soon as we can whether each event will proceed.

Sunday, 2nd May 2021 (PROVISIONAL) Athy Dragon Boat

Regatta River Barrow, Emily Square, Athy, Co. Kildare

Saturday, 15 th May 2021 IDBA Annual General Meeting Video

Conference Meeting

Sunday, 13 th June 2021 (PROVISIONAL) Barrow Dragon Boat

Regatta. River Barrow, Carlow Town Park, Graiguecullen, Co.

Carlow.

TIMING / SYNCHRONISATION

Verb: To cause to occur or operate at the same time or rate

and exactly together.

The key to dragon boat racing is the synchronisation of the team and how well each paddler paddles in time

with the next. You may be the ‘fastest’ paddler in the boat, but if you are doing your own thing and paddling out of

time then you can be a waste of space! So how do we achieve that perfect timing?

• LOOK! The crew must learn to watch the lead paddlers or strokers - the paddlers that set the rate, by

looking diagonally across the boat and down the side as far forward as you can see, ideally the first seat.

• LISTEN! Teach the crew to listen to the drum beat. In a race situation it can be very difficult to tune into the

correct drum beat when there are many other crews in the race, so practice narrowing down your hearing

skills. Also you can hear splashes of water when the paddles exit the water and you reach forward.

• FEEL! In the heat of the moment the crew need to be able to feel the rhythm in the boat with the surge on

each stroke.

• We need to make sure that the crew are using the same technique. If there are inconsistent paddling

styles it is going to be very hard to stay in time.

A common technique to try and improve the crews synchronisation is getting the crew to paddle with their

eyes closed. This takes out any visual cue for timing and the crew has to learn to use its other senses.

Example of Poor Synchronisation

Example of Good Synchronisation

Article courtesy of the Irish DBA,

Newsletter, Issue 18




DSN CALENDAR OF DRAGON BOAT SPORT & FESTIVAL RACING 2020/2021

Issue 7: MARCH - NOVEMBER 2021

Given the corona virus pandemic, you should check with the organiser concerned, if you wish to go to any of the

events shown in this calendar, to confirm that the event will take place on the date shown.

DUE TO COVID-19, ALL EVENTS SHOWN SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS PROVISIONAL.

Championships - International & National

Local Races & Events

Festival Races

All Races shown use IDBF Racing Rules or rules adapted from

them. Championships are held under IDBF Competition Regs.

(P) = Provisional Date or Venue

International Regattas & Regional Champs

Multi Sports Games & Boating Events

All events and dates shown as at 26 March 2021. TBN = To Be Notified. TBC = to be Confirmed

MARCH 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

06 Mar 2021 Moomba Festival, Yarra River Melbourne Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

06 Mar 2021 CRDBA Regionals, Wellington Harbour Wellington New Zealand www.dragonboatfestival.org.nz

07 Mar 2021 Sec Schs Canterbury Champs.RSO Aoraki Lake Rue New Zealand www.nzdba.co.nz

14 Mar 2021 DBWA State Championships, Champion Lakes Armadale, WA Australia www.dragonboatingwa.asn.au

14 Mar 2021 Auckland Regional Champs.RSO ADBA Lake Pupuke New Zealand www.nzdba.co.nz

15 Mar 2021 Auckland Secondary Schools Champs. Lake Pupuke New Zealand www.nzdba.co.nz

20 Mar 2021 South Island DB Champs. RSO Aoraki Lake Hood New Zealand www.nzdba.co.nz

26-27 Mar 2021 New Zealand Championships, Lake Hood Huntingdon New Zealand www.aoraki-dragons.co.nz

27 Mar 2021 Victorian State Championships, Regatta Ctre Nagambie Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

27-28 Mar 2021 Region v Region Regatta Int Regatta Centre SydneyNSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

28 Mar 2021 NSW State Championships, Int Regatta Ctre Sydney NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

APRIL 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

10 April 2021 Berlin Island Cup & Half Marathon for DBoat Berlin Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

10 Apr 2021 Gippy Dragon Boat Gallivant, Lake Gutheridge Port of Sale, Vic Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

11 Apr 2021 Inverness Dragon Boat Festival Inverness, Florida USA www.panamdragonboat.com

13-24 Apr 2021 PanAm Spring Trg Camps, Little Harbour, Ruskin Tampa, Florida USA www.panamdragonboat.com

15 -19 April 2021 Australian Championships, Champion Lakes Perth WA Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

16-18 April 2021 Cross Border DB Champs Gateway Lakes, Albury Wodonga Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

24 Apr 2021 Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Festival Tampa, Florida USA www.panamdragonboat.com

MAY 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

01-02 May 2021 36 Hour Straight Paddle, Docklands, Vic Harbour Victoria Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

01-02 May 2021 Titivators DB Regatta, Bellinger River Sailing Club Urunga, NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

02 May 2021 WA DB Festival, Fishing Boat Harbour Freemantle, WA Australia www.dragonboatingwa.asn.au

02 May 2021 TBC Athy DB Regatta, River Barrow,.Emily Square Athy, Co Kildare Ireland www.dragonboat.ie

08 May 2021 Dragon Boat Races Konigswusterhausen Konigswusterhausen Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

08 May 2021 Madison County Chamber Dragon Boat Regatta Madison County USA www.gwndragonboat.com

15-16 May 2021 Nowra Waterdragons Fire Regatta,Greys Beach North Norwra, NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

16 May 2021 Battle on the Barwon, Geelong CC, Barwon River Newtown, Victoria Australia www.dragonboatvictoria.com.au

21 May 2021 Columbus Asian Festival Dragob Boat Race Columbus, Ohio USA www.gwndragonboat.com

15 May 2021 Fairway Gorge PC, Super Sprints Victoria Canada www.fgpaddle.com

May 2021 TBN Greater Moncton DB Festival Moncton NB Canada www.22dragons.com



JUNE 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

June 2021 TBN Tim Horton Ottawa, DB Festival Races Ottawa Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

June 2021 TBC Lachine Knockout DB Races Lachine, Quebec Canada www.22dragons.com

June 2021 TBC Concord Pacific DB Festival Vancouver Canada www.dragonbobc.ca

05 June 2021 Grotegaste Dragon Boat Event Grotegaste Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

05 June 2021 TBC Mt Dora Paddlefest Mt Dora, Florida USA www.panamdragonboat.com

05-06 June 2021 Pickering DB Festival, Bruce Handscome Park Pickering, Ont Canada www.pdbc.ca

11 -12 June 2021 Neuhausen Water Festival Newhausen Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

11 June 2021 Fanshawe DB Festival London, Ontario Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

11 June 2021 Dragon Boat High School Cup, Halle / Saale Halle, Saale Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

12 June 2021 Dragon Boat Cup Race Halle / Saale Halle, Saale Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

12 June 2021 Fairway Gorge PC, Gorge Festival DB 500m Victoria BC Canada www.fgpaddle.com

12-13 June 2021 Flamin’ Dragons Regatta, Rocks Ferry Reserve Wauchope, NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

13 June 2021 TBC Barrow Dragon Boat Regatta, Carlow Town Park Graiguecullen, Carlow Ireland www.dragonboat.ie

26-27 June 2021 33 rd Toronto International DB Festival Races Toronto Ctre Island Canada www.dragonboats.com

27 June 2021 Belleville Lake DB Festival Belleville MI USA www.gwndragonboat.com

JULY 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

01 July 2021 Rusty Dragons Canada Dry Regatta, Toronto Isl Toronto, Ont Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

10 July 2021 Dragon Boat Cup Race Emden Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

10 July 2021 GWN Sport Regatta, Marilyn Park Toronto, Ontario Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

10 July 2021 Sarasota International DB Festival Sarasota FL USA www.gwndragonboat.com

17 July 2021 Charleston DB Festival Charleston SC USA www.gwndragonboat.com

24 July 2021 Rowan County DB Festival Salisbury, NC USA www.panamdragonboat.com

31 July 2021 Chicago International DB Festival Chicago USA www.gwndragonboat.com

AUGUST 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

Aug 2021 TBN Colorado Springs DB Festival, Prospect Lake Colorado Springs USA www.gwndragonboat.com

31 Jul -01 Aug 2021 Dragon Boat Festival Bad Emden Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

06-08 Aug 2021 Vancover Island Int DB Festival, Vancouver Canada www.fgpaddle.com

06 Aug 2021 Woodstock Rotary DB Festival, Woodstock, Vermont Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

07 Aug 2021 Oriental DB Festival Oriental NC USA www.panamdragonboat.com

07 Aug 2021 Richmond Int DB Festival Richmond, BC Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

07 Aug 2021 Lake Bemidji DB Festival Lake Bemidji MN USA www.gwndragonboat.com

07 Aug 2021 TBC Waterford DB Festival Waterford, NY USA www.panamdragonboat.com

14 Aug 2021 Starbuck DB Festival, Lake Minnewaska Minnesota USA www.gwndragonboat.com

14 Aug 2021 Habitat DB Festival Gadsden AL USA www.panamdragonboat.com

17 - 22 Aug 2021 EDBF European Nations & Club Crews Champs Kiev Ukraine www.edbf.org

20 Aug 2021 Riverfront DB & Asian Festival Hartford CT USA www.gwndragonboat.com

21 Aug 2021 Dragon Boat Festival Biesenthal Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

21 Aug 2021 Northern Nevada Int DB Festival Navada USA www.gwndragonboat.com

21 Aug 2021 Buffalo DB Festival Buffalo, NY USA www.panamdragonboat.com

21-22 Aug 2021 Manning River DB Challenge, QE Park Taree, NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

28 Aug 2021 Dragon Boat Races, Minden “Old Ride” Minden Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

28-29 Aug 2021 Rainbow DB Regatta, Shaws Bay East Ballina, NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

29 Aug 2021 Dragon on the Lake DB Festival, Lake Orion Lake Orion MI USA www.gwndragonboat.com

SEPTEMBER 2020 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

Sept 2021 TBC Great River Race, River Thames London England www.greatriverrace.co.uk

Sept 2021 TBC Quebec DB Cup, 200, 500, 2000m Montreal QC Canada www.22dragons.com

Sept 2021 TBC British National League Race. TBN England www dragonboat.org.uk



11 Sept 2021 Dunebrook DB Festival La Porte PA USA www.panamdragonboat.com

11-12 Sept 2021 Tim Horton’s GWN DB Challenge, Marilyn Bell Pk Toronto, Ontario Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

17 Sept 2021 Stratford Rotary DB Festival Stratford, Ontario Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

18 Sept 2021 Mercer County DB Festival West Windsor, NJ USA www.gwndragonboat.com

18 Sept 2021 Greater Triangle Area DB Festival Rayleigh NC USA www.panamdragonboat.com

18 -19 Sept 2021 Dragon Boat Cup Bremerhaven Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

19 Sept 2021 Missisauga DB Festival Ontario Canada www.gwndragonboat.com

25 Sept 2021 SDBA-AustCham DB Challenge 5km & 10km Marina Reservoir Singapore www.sdba.org.sg

25 Sept 2021 Rotary Club of Peachtree City DB Festival Peachtree City GA USA www.panamdragonboat.com

OCTOBER 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

01 -03 Oct 2021 USDBF National Championships. Sarasota USA www.panamdragonboat.com

02 Oct 2021 Dragon Boat Cup, Strandbad, Berlin-Weissensee Berlin Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

09 – 16 Oct 2021 Australian Masters Games, Champion Lakes Western Australia Australia www.dragonboatingwa.asn.au

Oct 2021 TBC CBL Chinese Arrival Dragon Boat Festival Trinidad Trinidad & Tob www.trinidad & tobago DB federation

10 Oct 2021 DFW Dragon Boat Festival Dallas, Texas USA www.panamdragonboat.com

16 Oct 2021 Dragon Boat Triathon Berlin 500,1000m, 2.5km Berlin Germany www.drachenboot-liga.de

16 Oct 2021 Charlotte Dragon Boat Festival Charlotte, NC USA www.panamdragonboat.com

16 Oct 2021 Orlando Int DB Festival Orlando, Florida USA www.gwndragonboat.com

16-17 Oct 2021 San Diego Dragon Boat Race San Diego CA Singapore www.usdbf.org

23 Oct 2021 Suncoast International DB Festival Sarasota FL USA www.panamdragonboat.com

NOVEMBER 2021 Event Details Venue Country Contact Details

Nov 2021 TBN Singapore Regatta, Water Fest – 200m Sports Hub WSC Singapore www.sdba.org.sg

02 -07 Nov 2021 IDBF World Nations Championships. Hong Kong China www.dragonboat.sport

06 Nov 2021 Lake Hernando Dragon Boat Festival Hernando, FL USA www.panamdragonboat.com

07 Nov 2021 Western Region DB Regatta, Lake Canobolas Nashdale NSW Australia www.dbnsw.org.au

13 Nov 2021 Pan Am Sport Regatta, By-Pass Canal Tampa FL USA www.panamdragonboat.com

20 Nov 2021 Miami DB Festival, Key Biscayne Miami FL USA www.gwndragonboat.com

TIM HORTONS OTTAWA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL PRESENTS NEW

VIRTUAL CHALLENGE, OTTAWA WA’A Friday, March 19, 2021

The Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival Virtual Edition will take place from

March 20-June 27, 2021, including a virtual version of OTTAWA WA’A.

The first day of spring is typically a time when paddlers are prepping their gear for those

chilly springtime practices on the water. In 2021, paddlers will be gearing up for a different

kind of paddling season. This new virtual challenge offers people around the world an

opportunity to enjoy time on the water, whether the goal is to relax or train to beat their

personal best time (or their teammates!).

OTTAWA WA’A is an all inclusive individual and team paddling sport challenge that received its name “Wa’a” from

the traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe. The inaugural OTTAWA WA’A was held in 2018 at Mooney’s Bay as part of

the annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.

Paddlers, old and new, are challenged to complete 202k/126mi, the length of the historic Rideau Canal, between

March 20-June 27 by OC1 (Outrigger Canoe), SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), Surf Ski, 1X (Single Scull), Kayak,

Canoe, Paddle Ergs or any other paddle-powered watercraft. We welcome everyone to join this paddling challenge so if

you can’t hit the water feel free to complete the challenge using the activity of your choosing.

Registrations can be purchased as gifts for friends, family members, and co-workers. A great way to connect with

friends and family anywhere in the world! Companies can also purchase registrations to show their appreciation for their

employees and offer a fun (virtual) team building activity.

Our partners over at ODBF.CA will also be hosting the annual ODBF Pledge Challenge to raise money for local

charities. For further details on the ODBF Pledge Challenge please visit ODBF.CA.


DRAGON SPORT NEWS

the Emagazine for Dragon Boaters world-wide

“The Independent Voice of Dragon Boat Sport”


wear a face mask

when you are

shopping or on

public transport

Keep social

distancing and

‘Stay Safe’

Don’t forget to wash

your hands regularly


DSN Mar 2021

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