The Philippine National Team captured first place June 13 at the Men’s Open Boating Contest of the 2010 Taipei International Dragon Boat Championship.
The competition, held in celebration of the traditional Dragon Boat Festival, took place at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei, with crowds cheering loudly despite heavy rains.
The Philippine team beat out three local teams to finish the race in 1 minute 57.8 seconds. It was a narrow victory of fewer than 0.3 seconds over the Hualien Joint Canoeing Team of Taiwan, which came in at second place with a time of 1:58.06.
A team from Taoyuan in northern Taiwan, which called itself “Hometown of the Windmill,” received the bronze with a record of 2:00.03.
Even before the races started the Philippine team had been considered a main contender for the top prize, as its team members are well-built with rippling physiques. Team members also showed great coordination in their paddling movements, a primary requirement for success in dragon boat races.
But an easy triumph was by no means assured, and during the tense race the Philippine squad was challenged several times by the Hualien and Taoyuan teams. Nevertheless, the Filipinos won the prize in the end by plucking the championship flag a fraction of a second before the others.
The race was the culmination of three days of boating competitions that 213 local and international teams participated in. A total of NT$2 million (US$61,650) in cash prizes was given out, along with trophies and certificates.
Contestants included foreign workers in Taipei who practiced boating on weekends. “Practicing has been fun. It sometimes feels like a picnicking party,” said Ms. Fujisaki from Japan, who has attended the boating contest three times.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin attended an evening party June 12 and spent several festive hours with the boatmen and spectators. Ambassadors and representatives from Guatemala, El Salvador and the Philippines were also present. “I hope all our guests can enjoy the hospitality and vitality of Taipei, as well as its gourmet food,” said Hau.
Other events at the festival include a festive open market, a rice dumpling (or zongzi) making competition and an “egg-head” contest, in which participants must try balancing an egg on one end at exactly 12 noon.
The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar, is an important traditional festival in Taiwan and mainland China. On this day, people hold boating contests and eat zongzi to commemorate the life of the ancient poet Qu Yuan and celebrate the arrival of summer. (TYH-HZW)