Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon boat racing is a team paddling sport where the participants use a dragon boat. A dragon boat is a human-powered water vehicle; they were first made in the southern Guangdong Province in China.
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 racing is practiced around East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been part of the Asian Games.
Dragon boat raceThe crew of a dragon boat team comprises of 22 members, 20 paddlers, 1 drummer, and 1 steerer. Dragon boat competitions in the international level are usually organized by the International Dragon Boat Federation. A race is most of the time 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.
Similar Sports
- Canoeing — paddle sport in which the rider kneels or sits facing forward in a canoe.
- Outrigger Canoeing — racing using a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull.
- Kayaking — boat races using a small, narrow boat propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle
- Rafting — the objective is to navigate downstream on river rapids using an inflated raft.
- Polish Dragon Boat Racing — aka "tug of oars" or "dragon war", in which teams of paddlers sit facing each other in a dragon boat, and attempt to paddle toward each other.
Related Pages
- The unrelated but similarly named sport of Drag Boat Racing
- Dragon Boat Racing has been part of the Asian Games
- About Paddling Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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