Kota Kinabalu: The 10th Edition of the International Dragon Boat Race made history by recording its highest participation ever, with 988 participants since it was first held in 2014.
President of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) and Organising Chairman, Tan Sri Dr. T.C. Goh, said a total of 75 teams took part in 141 events across 11 race categories held at Likas Bay.
He stated that this year’s race also featured international teams from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Brunei. Despite minor weather disturbances, all events ran smoothly without any incidents.
“All participants were in good spirits and happy, and many categories even recorded new records. We have set the date for next year’s 11th edition from May 15 to 17, and we hope for even more international participation,” he told the media during the 10th edition of the International Dragon Boat Race at Likas Bay on Sunday.
In the race, Bukit Sari Lawas emerged champion in the C1 Yang di-Pertua Negeri Cup category (800 meters) with a time of 3:38:55, defeating eight other teams and taking home RM10,000, a trophy, and medals.
Runner-up was Lautan Biru SLDB Dragon Boat Team Tuaran, while third place went to Jetama Entulon Family DBT.
Meanwhile, Jetama Entulon Family Senior won the Sabah Chief Minister’s Cup (Men, 800 meters) category with a time of 3:41.09, earning RM8,000, a trophy, and medals.
Second place went to Landas Kasihnya Warisan, and third to Sri Sundar.
Prizes were presented by Sabah Minister of Industrial Development, Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe, accompanied by Tan Sri Dr. T.C. Goh and Race Committee Chairperson, Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen.
In the FCAS Dragon Cup category (Mixed Open, 800 meters), RMP Paddlers were crowned champions, followed by DBKL and Sabah River Raptors ITCC in third place.
For the FCAS HZ Cup (Closed Mixed, 800 meters), KKCCCI emerged champion, followed by the KK Hakka Association and Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA).
KKCCCI also won the FCAS Cup (800 meters) Malaysian Chinese (Mixed Open) category, with second and third places going to Kuching Dragon Boat Club (KDB) and KK Hakka Dragon Boat Team respectively.
In the Kinabalu Dragon Cup category (800m, Juniors aged 15 to 20), the Sibling Performance Team dominated, followed by Lentuong Junior SLDB Team and Jetama Entulon Family Junior.
For the Men’s Open (200m) category, PS Dragon Boat Team took the title, while the Dragon Boat Club, CUHK won the Mixed category.
Karapaw won the Kinabalu Phoenix Cup (Women’s Open, 200m), and PNK Master Dragon Boat triumphed in the Kinabalu Master Cup (Men, 200m) category, followed by DBKL and Lela Cheteria.
Goh added that the participation of international teams not only adds excitement to the competition but also has the potential to contribute to the growth of the tourism and state economy overall.
