Dragon Boat Today

Participation Levels.

It is currently estimated that dragon boating has developed to the point where over 50 million people in Asia alone and over 60 countries, world wide, ‘Race the Dragon’ in dragon boat competitions around the globe. The majority race in China and South East Asia, with over 300,000 estimated participants in Europe; 200,000 in North America and around 30,000 in Australasia and Africa. For Canoe Sport, it is estimated that figures do not exceed 300,000 – world-wide.

Food for Thought.

At a time when Dragon Boat Racing rituals were well established, the games of Olympia were just evolving from a similar simple religious observance, towards a regularly scheduled grand festival. Both of these two ancient public dramas honoured their gods, heroes and legends. For example Zeus, Apollo and Hermes in Europe and in China the dragon and Qu Yuan - the man whose spirit lives on in the modern world through his legacy of the Dragon Boat Festival Races.

Today contemporary values such as teamwork, cultural diversity, brotherhood, community spirit, athleticism, fortitude and fitness are all glorified in both the Dragon Boat Festival and the modern Olympic Games.

The reality.

Dragon Boating is not merely just a paddle sport, such as competitive canoeing is. The "hun" and esprit of racing dragon boats, goes far beyond a mere sports spectacle and embraces a rich and dynamic cultural fabric that has been observed uninterrupted for more than 25 centuries.

May it always be so, through its traditional Festival Races and modern ‘IDBF Sport Racing’ with its cultural, traditional values and up most respect for the ‘Spirit of Qu Yuan’.