Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta attracts 1,400 participants

KUCHING, Oct 26 -- The Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta held from today (Oct 26) until Nov 3 at the Kuching Waterfront has attracted 1,400 participants from 14 countries.

Race director Girlie Tan said the competition this year which has entered its seventh year was the biggest thus far with most participants.

“There are currently 42 teams in which the United States is the country with most participants while the United Arab Emirates and Myanmar are both first-timers in the race,” she told Bernama.

She said for this year’s event, the organiser had received applications from up to 60 teams but had to set the limit to only 42 teams due to time constraints.

“It is hoped that in the coming years we can extend the competition so that more teams can participate in this event,” she said.

The cash prize of up to RM39,000 await the contestants in five categories, namely, the International Open’s 20 crew, International Open’s 12 crew, International Mixed 12 crew, International Ladies 12 crew, and International Master 12 crew.

The KL Barbarian team who will represent Malaysia in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines will also participate in the race to hone their skills before heading to Manila to start their campaign in the biggest sporting event in the Southeast Asian region.

-- BERNAMA