Governed and promoted by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and its country members, dragon boat racing is a flat-water, sprint paddling sport, with a padding style similar to those in sprint canoe without the kneeling and outrigger racing, using single-blade paddles. The challenge of dragon boat racing lies not in the paddling technique but rather in synchronizing with 19 other paddlers on the boat through all phases of the stroke (catch-pull-finish-reach) and through the entire race course. The challenge is even greater for a mixed team of paddlers of different sizes and strength levels. Dragon boat races are typically 500 meters, but occasionally there are 250m, 1000m, 2000m and marathon races.
In North America, teams typically paddle at stroke rates of 60 to
85spm (stroke per minute). In Asia, top teams can pull water
at stroke rates above 100spm. It is common for four or more teams
in a race to finish close together and only split-second apart. Many
competitive teams post times around 2.5 minutes to cover 500m while
elite teams can cover the same course length in less than 2 minutes.
Originating in Southern China over 2000 years ago, dragon boat racing
started gathering interest in the western world in the 1970s. Today,
it is both a recreational and a highly competitive sport enjoyed by
people of all ages in over 50 countries and territories around the world.
Dragon boat racing is increasingly popular as a component in corporate team building retreats and charitable fundraising events, particularly for promoting breast cancer awareness.
Outside China, people in various parts of Asia also have long traditions of paddling boats that are similar to the Chinese dragon boats. In Korea, dragon boating has been an integral part of the Korean culture for more than 1000 years. In Thailand, swan boat racing is as important to the Thais as dragon boat racing to the Chinese. In Vietnam, Ba Trao rowing originated from an ancient ritual of worshipping the whale god (Ong), the river god and earth god, combined with prayers for peace, happiness and full harvest. In Okinawa, Japan, the Naha Hari has been a tradition for fishermen to pray for fair weather and good fishing since the14th century. In Kerala of southern India, annual snake boat races are held during the Onam Festival to reenact various Indian legends that involve using a fleet of snake boats to carry elaborate offering to the Sree Krishna Temple. A giant snake boat can carry as many as 100 paddlers.
