Sydney’s Dragon Boat races roar in the Year of the Tiger

By SHARLOTTE THOU

The City of Sydney’s annual Dragon Boat races were held on the weekend after subdued celebrations were put on in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1200 paddlers competed in 72 races over the weekend, in what the City of Sydney describes as “the largest race event of its kind in the southern hemisphere”.

Dragon Boat racing involves 18-20 paddlers racing in 12-metre-long boats with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails to the beating of drums. The sport is believed to have originated in southern central China over 2500 years ago and plays an important role in ceremonial, ritualistic and religious traditions.

The weekend’s event saw Taoist monks blessing the waters, with red paint dabbed onto the dragon head of a traditional style boat in a ritual that is said to “awaken the dragons”.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore applauded the cultural significance of the event, saying that the event “has played a vital role in unifying Sydney, strengthening our cultural relationships and supporting local businesses of all shapes and sizes”.

“At the heart of our celebrations this year is a strong desire to give Sydneysiders something to celebrate and give our local businesses an opportunity to bounce back, especially in Chinatown, where local restaurants continue to suffer the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cr Moore said.

Dragon Boats NSW CEO Tony Henderson called the competition “thrilling”, saying that the regatta “provides us with a great opportunity to promote and show off our dynamic and explosive sport to the public”.

Perfect Balance

Paddler Esmond Esguerra from Different Strokes – a Sydney-based dragon boat club focused on providing a social and fitness-based sporting outlet for the LGBTQI+ community – competed in the Premier Mixed and Premier Open categories.

He said the Lunar New Year regatta was “one of the most – if not the most – exciting races we look forward to annually”.

Esguerra started racing to try something new, but says the sport has “continuously grown as part of his daily life”. He credits his involvement in the sport to his paddling club, which “strikes the perfect balance of competitive racing, friends, fun and fitness”.

Esguerra calls dragon boat racing the “ultimate team sport” and a “good test of one’s strength and endurance”.

“Paddling on a boat may serve as a refuge – it is fun, it is an effective stress relief, it is like a different life altogether when you’re paddling. Beyond that, you get to meet wonderful people,” he said.

“It’s not too late for a (lunar) new year’s resolution.”