The new year is already two weeks old, but the UAE Dragon Boat Association (UDBA) has wasted little time in organising their next event.
More than 60 teams have signed up for their inaugural DP Dragon Boat Festival on January 27 and 28 at the Dubai Water Canal and with registration closing on Saturday, there’s still time to join them.
Since establishing in China, the sport has become hugely popular around the world and the UAE is no different with the dragon fever catching on across the country. UDBA’s calendar already consists of events in major emirates including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah attracting big numbers and this month’s, which is supported by the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, is set to build on that success.
“We’ll have around 1,000 people set to be there which is very encouraging,” said Jason Mackenzie, technical director of UDBA. “There have been a lot of team entries and there’s still room for teams to sign up before we reach our maximum capacity of 75.”
Categories range from novice to advanced with entries open for corporate, social, university and school teams, while training sessions will be offered prior to the event. Whether you’ve tried dragon boating before or not, Mackenzie insists it will be a memorable visit.
Light a fire: See why dragon boating has become a popular sport.
“I’ve been organising competitions for 10 years now and we get huge numbers,” he said. “There are many activities you can do here in the UAE, especially in sport and dragon boating is great to learn. You don’t need any experience and every team has their own individual technique when paddling so it’s easy to learn.
“It’s a very welcoming environment where you can feel part of the group and develop a social network with other teams and that extends way beyond the waters.”
He added: “For the free sessions, dvanced booking is required and the organisers will give them a time and day of when to practice.”
Besides the thrilling encounters on sea, competitors and spectators can look forward to plenty of activities on land.
“We have a lot of exciting things for people to do,” said Mackenzie. “There will be fitness classes, climbing walls, bouncy castles and food outlets, plus all the races are pretty exciting to watch so it will be a great day out.”