Dragonboat Regatta returns after 2 years

AFTER a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippine Dragonboat Federation returns with its Dragonboat Regatta on Sunday, March 27, at the Manila Bay.

Races start at 6 a.m, with the men’s open division kicking off the 200-meter event followed by the mixed and women’s divisions. The starting point of the race will be near the back of the US Embassy and the endpoint is at the Manila Ocean Park.

This will be the first of the four local races this year.

There will be podium finishers in each of the legs, with each team gaining points from each leg which will be used to determine the overall champion by the end of the season.

“This will be a show of success that even with the pandemic, the dragonboat races are back. This is a symbolic race after two years of battling the pandemic,” Jayson Caalim, team captain of the Dragons Republic, said to The Manila Times.

“Since this is our first race in this pandemic, fans can expect intense action from the clubs who will surely go all out in the race.”

The last race the association has held was in January 2020.

The 15 participating teams are the Dragons Republic, Philippine Navy, Rowers Club Philippines, Bomba Pilipinas, Rogue Pilipinas, Maharlika Drakon, Triton, Onslaught Racing Dragons, Bruins, Pemcor, Amateur Paddlers Philippines, Philippine Army, Philippine

Wave Warriors, Speed Devilz and One Piece Drakon Sangres.

Each team has an entry for all the categories except for the Philippine Wave Warriors, who will only join in the men’s division.

“The teams started training for this tournament in December last year. Right now, we can say that we are in peak condition and are raceready and race-worthy,” said the 36-year-old Caalim, who’s been paddling for 10 years now.