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Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is a team paddling sport where the participants use a dragon boat, a traditional Chinese long boat with up to 20 paddlers.

Dragon boat racing is practiced around East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been part of the Asian Games.



This sport originated in ancient folk rituals of contending villagers, and competitions have been held for around 2000 years in the southern part of China. In dragon boat racing competitions, the dragon boats are rigged with Chinese dragon heads and tails. In some competitions, the decorative designs are removed, but the drums remain.

Dragon boat race Dragon boat race

Usually the crew of a dragon boat team comprises of 22 members, 20 paddlers, 1 drummer, and 1 steerer, though the number of paddlers can vary from 10 up to 50.

A race is usually a sprint event. The most common distances are 200, 500, 1000, and 2000 meters. The races for a 2000-meter race are usually held on a 500-meter course.

Dragon boat competitions at the international level are usually organized by the International Dragon Boat Federation.



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