Celebrations breathe more fire into dragon boat races

A record number of teams will join this month's Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races as the event is upgraded to mark its 50th anniversary, organisers said on Tuesday. The Hong Kong Tourism Board and Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association said the races between June 27 and 28 will have more than 220 teams and 4,500 competitors from 16 regions and countries, including Indonesia which will make its debut. As part of the golden jubilee celebrations, there will be an invitational cup featuring six local fishermen teams competing in wooden dragon boats, while the winners of nine main events will also battle it out for the title of "ultimate champions". The races in Victoria Harbour are part of a 13-day Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival that will be held at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade between June 19 and July 1. Other activities will include cultural heritage workshops, such as rice dumpling and fish net making, and a virtual reality dragon boat paddling experience. “With the event entering the golden jubilee, we have jointly upgraded the event as the International Dragon Boat Festival," tourism board chairman Peter Lam said. "No only will the duration of the event be extended, the scale of the races is larger than previous years. The entertainment experience will also be enhanced to make the event more appealing.” Edited by Thomas McAlinden