Dragon boat
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A dragon boat (traditional Chinese: 龍舟or 龍船; simplified Chinese: 龙舟 or 龙船; pinyin: lóngzhōu, lóngchuán) is a very long and narrow human-powered boat used in the team paddling sport or dragon boat racing which originated in the country of China.
For racing events, dragon boats are always rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. At other times the decorative regalia is usually removed, although the drum often remains aboard for training purposes.
Dragon boat races are traditionally on the day of the Duanwu Festival, also known in English as the Dragon Boat Festival, making dragonboating the only sport to be celebrated as a national holiday. The Chinese calendar date is the fifth day of the fifth month, which usually corresponds to a date in June.
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[edit] The crew of the dragon boat
The standard crew complement of a contemporary dragon boat is around 22, comprising 20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers, and 1 steerer or tiller(helm) at the rear of the boat, although for races it is common to have just 18 paddlers. Dragon boats vary in length and crew size will vary accordingly, from small dragon boats with 10 paddlers, up to the massive traditional boats which have upwards of 50 paddlers, plus drummer and steerer.
[edit] The drummer and drumming
The drummer or callers may be considered the "heartbeat" of the dragon boat, and leads the crew throughout a race with the rhythmic beating of a drum to indicate the timing and frequency of paddling strokes (that is, the cadence, picking up the pace, slowing the rate, etc.) The caller may issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls, and also generally exhorts the crew to perform at their peak. A caller/drummer is mandatory during racing events, but if he or she is not present during training, it is typical for the steerer to direct the crew.
Good callers should be able to synchronize the drumming cadence with the strokes of the leading pair of paddlers, rather than the other way around. As a tail wind, head wind or cross wind, may affect the amount of power needed to move the boat at hull speed throughout a race, a caller should also be aware of the relative position of the dragon boat to other boats, and to the finish line, in order to correctly issue commands to the crew as to when to best surge ahead, when to hold steady and when to peak for the finish. An expert level caller will be able to gauge the power of the boat and the paddlers through the sensation of acceleration, deceleration, and inefficiencies which are transmitted through the hull (ie. they will physically feel the boat action through their feet and gluteus maximus muscles).
Traditional dragonboats with 40 to 50 paddlers are so long that the drum is positioned amidships (in the middle of the boat) so that all paddlers can hear it amidst the noise of heated competition. However, for the smaller dragon boats of 20 paddlers which are most often used in competitive sporting events, the drum is located just aft of the dragon headed prow.
Some crews may also feature a gong striker who strikes a ceremonial gong mounted aboard the dragon boat. A gong striker may sometimes be used as an alternative to a drummer.
[edit] The paddlers
The paddlers sit facing forwards, and use a specific type of paddle. The leading pair of paddlers, called "pacers," "strokers," or "timers," set the pace for the team. It is critical that all paddlers are synchronized. Each paddler should synchronize with the paddler diagonally in front of them. This ensures that the paddling pace is balanced and all energy is spent on moving the boat forward. The direction of the dragon boat is set by the helm, not the paddlers. The lead paddlers are responsible for synchronizing themselves.
There are several components to a dragon boat or outrigger stroke: 1. The "catch" and at the front of the 60 degree negative angle allows the paddler to bury their blade deep in the water. 2. The "pull" stage generates the power to move the boat, most often by using the strong muscles of the back to propel the boat beyond the paddle. 3. The "release" or "return" is the final stage of the stroke. To release, the outside arm should slightly bend and the blade should release to the top of the stroke. It is important for the blade to return as vertically as possible, with the top hand staying outside the boat. Each of these components of the stroke are equally important and must be done in synchronization with the paddle across and in front. If done correctly, all paddles will be in time with the lead strokes.
If paddlers are not synchronized, each successive pair of blades hits the water a fraction of a second behind the blades in front of them. To an onshore observer, this effect resembles the movement of a many-legged caterpillar or centipede; thus, a coach may discipline a team for "caterpillaring." During a race it is difficult to stay in sync as the sounds of other drums make it confusing or unreliable to time off the drum beat.
Very experienced paddlers will feel the response of the boat and its surge or resistance through the water via the blades of their paddles, and will adjust their reach, and the catch of their blade tips, in accordance with the power required to match the acceleration of the hull through the water at any given moment.
[edit] The steerer
The steerer, known also as the coxswain, helm, steersman, steersperson, sweep, or tiller, controls the dragon boat with a steering oar similar in function to a tiller which is mounted at the rear of the boat. The steerer may work with the drummer to call out commands during a race. The responses of the oar are opposite to the direction they take - if the steerer pulls the oar right, or into the boat, the boat will turn left, and if they push out, or left, the boat turns right. During a race, an experienced steerer will be able to steer the dragon boat effectively according to the wind, the wake of other boats, and other factors to achieve optimum speed. The steerer must constantly be aware of the boat's surroundings. The steerer has the power to override the caller at any time during the race (or the coach during practice) if the safety of the crew is threatened in any way.
[edit] Taiwanese flag catchers
Another dragon boat crew position which was first popularized on the island of Taiwan and which remains very popular there is the flag puller or flag catcher, who is tasked with grabbing a lane flag as the boat crosses the finish line. The first boat to pull their flag wins the race, while any boats which miss their flag are penalized. The flag catcher normally sits behind the drummer, but as the boat approachers the finish line the flag catcher moves into position onto the top of the dragon head (see photo).
In historical times before the introduction of photo finishes and digital timing, or simply where such facilities are not available, flag catching is useful for distinguishing very close finishes (presumably an odd number of judges can decide the winner where multiple flags are caught very close together). A Song Dynasty landscape painting on silk records a dragon boat festival race on an imperial lake featuring flag pulling dragon boat races.
[edit] Dragon boats versus canoes and rowboats
Although a dragon boat is not a type of canoe, they are both paddle-craft rather than rowing-craft, and crew members paddle rather than "row". Dragon boat paddlers sit, crouch or stand facing forward in the direction of travel, ie. facing the prow (front) of the boat, similar to crews in other paddling craft, whereas rowers sit facing backwards. Furthermore, the oars and sweeps manned by rowers are connected to their shells, whereas dragon boat paddles are freely held. The large sweep oar of the dragon boat located in the stern for steering is often connected to the hull as well, with Taiwan again being the exception; there, the steerer will often use his oar to propel the boat forward in addition to using it to steer. People who paddle dragon boats may also be involved with outrigger canoe racing or War Canoe(or the sporting clubs of which they are members may provide both disciplines), due to some similarities in training regimes and sporting ethos.
Canoes are derived from hollowed out tree trunks (either single log, or single log supported by one or a pair of outrigged float pontoons); or from birch and other deciduous tree bark shells stretched over wooden frames. Traditional wooden dragon boats, however, derive from rafts of three lashed-together logs which have been hollowed out and are like bamboo rafts consisting of lashed, hollow bamboo stalks which can still be seen in China today. It is the three large, lashed, rafted logs of old that give the Hongkong style of dragon boats its characteristic hull form cross section underwater seen today, which is like a "W". The keel (plank) is higher than the two outboard chines formed by the rail planks, so a kind of tunnel effect running down the centreline (keel) of the boat is present due to this construction and design. The traditional wooden boats are wide and heavy, typically weighing in at approximately 1,750 pounds, and the head and tail are all part of the boat itself. As the sport of dragon boating has increased in popularity and spread to countries outside of Asia, many countries have switched to using the newer fiberglass dragon boats, which are cheaper, narrower, significantly lighter, and usually have a separate, detachable piece for the dragon's head and tail.
[edit] History and culture of dragon boat racing
The use of dragon boats for racing and dragons are believed by modern scholars, sinologists and anthropologists[who?] to have originated in southern central China more than 2,500 years ago, along the banks of such iconic rivers as the Chang Jiang, also known as Yangtze (that is, during the same era when the games of ancient Greece were being established at Olympia). Dragon boat racing as the basis for annual water rituals and festival celebrations, and for the traditional veneration of the Asian dragon water deity, has been practiced continuously since this period. The celebration is an important part of ancient agricultural Chinese society, celebrating the summer harvest. They first used a "dragon boat" to save a local scholar from drowning in the river and went to save his life. They now honour this feat on (or around) the 5/5 every year (Lunar Calendar).
[edit] The Heavenly or Celestial Dragon
The dragon plays the most venerated role within the Chinese mythological tradition. For example, of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac the only mythical creature is the dragon. The rest are not mythical (eg. dog, rat, tiger, horse, snake, rabbit, rooster, monkey, sheep, ox, pig - all of which are familiar to agrarian peasants.) Dragons are traditionally believed to be the rulers of rivers and seas and dominate the clouds and the rains of heaven. There are earth dragons, mountain dragons and sky or celestial dragons (Tian Long) in Chinese tradition.
It is believed sacrifices, sometimes human, were involved in the earliest boat racing rituals. During these ancient times, violent clashes between the crew members of the competing boats involved throwing stones and striking each other with bamboo stalks. Originally, paddlers or even an entire team falling into the water could receive no assistance from the onlookers as their misfortune was considered to be the will of the Dragon Deity which could not be interfered with. Those boaters who drowned were thought to have been sacrificed. That Qu Yuan sacrificed himself in protest through drowning speaks to this early notion.
Dragon boat racing traditionally coincides with the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month (varying from late May to June on the modern Gregorian Calendar). The Summer Solstice occurs around June 21 and is the reason why Chinese refer to their festival as "Duan Wu". Both the sun and the dragon are considered to be male. (The moon and the mythical phoenix are considered to be female.) The sun and the dragon are at their most potent during this time of the year, so cause for observing this through ritual celebrations such as dragon boat racing. It is also the time of farming year when rice seedlings must be transplanted in their paddy fields, for wet rice cultivation to take place.
This season is also associated with pestilence and disease, so is considered as a period of evil due to the high summer temperatures which can lead to rot and putrification in primitive societies lacking modern refrigeration and sanitation facilities. One custom involves cutting shapes of the five poisonous or venomous animals out of red paper, so as to ward off these evils. The paper snakes, centipedes, scorpions, lizards and toads - those that supposedly lured "evil spirits" - where sometimes placed in the mouths of the carved wooden dragons.
Venerating the Dragon deity was meant to avert misfortune and calamity and encourage rainfall which is needed for the fertility of the crops and thus for the prosperity of an agrarian way of life. Celestial dragons were the controllers of the rain, the Monsoon winds and the clouds. The Emperor was "The Dragon" or the "Son of Heaven", and Chinese people refer to themselves as "dragons" because of its spirit of strength and vitality. Unlike the dragons in European mythology which are considered to be evil and demonic, Asian dragons are regarded as wholesome and beneficent, and thus worthy of veneration, not slaying.
Another ritual called Awakening of the Dragon involves a Daoist priest dotting the bulging eyes of the carved dragon head attached to the boat, in the sense of ending its slumber and re-energizing its spirit or qi (pronounced: chee). At festivals today, a VIP can be invited to step forward to touch the eyes on a dragon boat head with a brush dipped in red paint in order to reanimate the creature's bold spirit for hearty racing.
[edit] Qu Yuan
The other main legend concerns the poignant saga of a famous Chinese patriot poet named Qu Yuan, also known as Ch'u Yuen. It is said that he lived in the pre-imperial Warring States period (475-221 BC). During this time the area today known as central China was divided into seven main states or kingdoms battling among themselves for supremacy with unprecedented heights of military intrigue. This was at the conclusion of the Zhou (Chou) Dynasty period, which is regarded as China's classical age during which Kongzi (Confucius) lived. Also, the author Sunzi (Sun Tzu) is said to have written his famous classic on military strategy The Art of War during this era.
Qu Yuan is popularly regarded as a minister in one of the Warring State governments, the southern state of Chu (present day Hunan and Hubei provinces), a champion of political loyalty and integrity, and eager to maintain the Chu state's autonomy and hegenomy. Formerly, it was believed that the Chu king fell under the influence of other corrupt, jealous ministers who slandered Qu Yuan as 'a sting in flesh', and therefore the fooled king banished Qu, his most loyal counsellor.
In Qu's exile, so goes the legend, he supposedly produced some of the greatest early poetry in Chinese literature expressing his fervent love for his state and his deepest concern for its future. The collection of odes are known as the Chuci or "Songs of the South (Chu)". His most well known verses are the rhapsodic Li Sao or "Lament" and the fantastic Tien Wen or "Heavenly Questions".
In the year 278 B.C., upon learning of the upcoming devastation of his state from invasion by a neighbouring Warring State (Qin in particular), Qu is said to have waded into the Miluo river in today's Hunan Province holding a great rock in order to commit ritual suicide as a form of protest against the corruption of the era. The Qin or Chin kingdom eventually conquered all of the other states and unified them into the first Chinese empire. The word China derives from Chin.
The common people, upon learning of his suicide, rushed out on the water in their fishing boats to the middle of the river and tried desperatedly to save Qu Yuan. They beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles in order to keep the fish and evil spirits from his body. Later on, they scattered rice into the water to prevent him from suffering hunger. Another belief is that the people scattered rice to feed the fish, in order to prevent the fishes from devouring the poet's body.
However, late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that the rice meant for him was being intercepted by a huge river dragon. He asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages to ward off the dragon. This has been a traditional food ever since known as zongzi or sticky rice wrapped in leaves, although they are wrapped in leaves instead of silk. In commemoration of Qu Yuan it is said, people hold dragon boat races annually on the day of his death.
Today, dragon boat festivals continue to be celebrated around the world with dragon boat racing, although such events are still culturally associated with the traditional Chinese Tuen Ng Festival in Hong Kong (Cantonese Chinese dialect) or Duan Wu festival in south central mainland China (Mandarin Chinese dialect).
[edit] Dragon boat racing as a modern sport
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Modern dragon boat racing is organised at an international level by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). The IDBF, a Member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) recognises two types of Dragon Boat Racing activities, namely Sport racing, as practised by IDBF member organisations; and Festival racing, which are the more traditional and informal types of races, organised around the world, where racing rules vary from event to event.
- Sport racing distances are normally over 200 m or 250 m, 500 m, 1000 m and 2000 m, with formal Rules of Racing.
- A festival race is typically a sprint event of several hundred metres, with 500 metres being a standard distance in many international festival races.
There are also some very long endurance events, such as the Three Gorges Dam Rally along the Yangtze River (or Chang Jiang) near Yichang, Hubei province, China, which covers up to 100 kilometres and the Ord River marathon in Australia which covers over 50 kilometers
[edit] Popularity
Due to the long history of dragon boat racing in China, participants in cultural and racing events there number some 50 million people (on a population base of over 1 billion). Over the past 25 years, and especially since the formation of the IDBF and its Continental Federations for Asia and Europe (see below), the sport of dragon boating has gradually spread beyond Asia to Europe, North America, Australia and Africa, becoming a popular international sport with a growing number of participants.
The Hong Kong Tourism Bureau helped move dragon boat racing into the modern era by donating teak dragon boats to countries around the world, starting in 1980 when three boats were sent to London England, for the Chinese Festival on the River Thames. The following year two boats were sent to Germany. In 1986, the Hong Kong Pavilion at Expo 86 donated 4 teak dragon boats to the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Community leaders in Vancouver quickly saw the potential in creating a multicultual event that would bring together the Chinese and non-Chinese citizens for a fun event and festival, giving birth to the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival, now known as the Rio Tinto Dragon Boat Festival. The original boats were loaned/rented to Toronto, Victoria, Seattle and Los Angeles and quickly helped spread the seeds for modern dragon boat racing throughout North America. Two Taiwanese style dragon boats were donated to the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association (PKSCA) in North America to help found the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race in Portland Oregon, USA. The remaining boats for that race were purchased by the PKSCA. [1]
Today, dragon boat racing (sport and festival) is among the fastest growing of team water sports, with tens of thousands of participants in various organizations and clubs in over 60 countries - 62 of which are IDBF members (Jan 08). The sport is recognized for the camaraderie, strength and endurance fostered amongst participants, and it has also become a very popular corporate and charitable sport.
In Europe, the largest dragon boat festival is held in Malmo, Sweden, where over 200 crews — 4000 participants — take part in the Malmo Festival which lasts over a week. In the UK on Bewl Water in Kent, the Bewl Water Dragon Boat Festival now involves around 1,200 competitors annually and in 2006 raised £165,000.
Several of the largest dragon boat events outside Asia include Rio Tinto Dragon Boat Festival (aka. Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival) held in Vancouver, British Columbia, the GWN Dragon Boat Challenge held in Toronto, Ontario, Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival held in Toronto, Ontario, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival held in Ottawa, Ontario, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York held in Queens, New York, and the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race [1]. The three Canadian festivals feature 180 teams and the New York festival features over 120 teams, and all are held on weekends nearest the Summer Solstice in accordance with traditional Chinese dragon boat traditions. The Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival [2] has held its festival the first Saturday in October for the last six years and in 2007 hosted 136 teams, making it the largest one day Dragon Boat event to be held in North America. Portland, Oregon hosts several dragon boat races annually including the largest Taiwan style races in North America with over 100 teams and two full days of racing in front of 100,000 spectators at Portland's Rose Festival.
Further evidencing Dragon Boating's rise in popularity, is the 1st Annual Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival at Walt Disney World Resort [3] launching on October 18, 2008. The event marks the first of its kind in North America incorporating a total family experience into the sport of dragon boat racing.
European competition is just as varied with many national bodies aligned to the European Federation (EDBF) and IDBF, running competitions attended by many crews during the summer season. The EDBF European Dragon Boat League runs throughout the summer and typically a League Race is held every month in a different Country.
The British National League and UK national championships are run by the British Dragonboat Association (BDA). The championship is the culmination of a season following the National League series of eight races held between May and September. There is additionally a very active charity circuit operating on a more ad hoc basis throughout Europe.
[edit] Organizations
The established International Federations for dragon boat sport are the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and its Continental Federations, the European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF) and the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF).
The IDBF is the recognised World Governing Body of Dragon Boat Sport and a Member of the GAISF (the General Association of International Sports Federations)which is part of the Olympic Movement. In being accepted for GAISF Membership, the GAISF Council have ruled that Dragon Boating and Canoeing are separate sports with their own historical and cultural backgrounds and identities.
The ICF (International Canoe Federation) has had a limited interest in Dragon Boat Sport since 2005, organising an annual Dragon Boat Championship only for the small number of its Member Canoe Federations, approx 10, with an interest in Dragon Boating. Therefore the IDBF classifies ICF Dragon Boating as 'Closed Competition'
IDBF member associations or federations have been established in 62 countries or territories, since 1991 (eg. China DBA, Hong Kong DBA, Chinese Taipei DBA, Macau DBA, Singapore DBA, Australian DBF, United States DBF, Dragon Boat Canada, British DB Racing Association, Italian DBF, German DBA, Swiss DBA, South African DBA, Danish DBA, Chilean DBF, Uganda DBF, Trinidad & Tobago DBA) as well as many others and their are a further 15 other Countries known to the IDBF, with a developing interest in Dragon Boating.
The IDBF, whilst a Member of the GAISF, is not presently an Olympic Federation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but will be applying for this status when it has the 75 Member Countries or Territories that meet the criteria needed for IOC recognition and inclusion in an Olympic Games. Some National Olympic Committees (NOC) have already accepted Dragon boat national organization for national membership and the Olympic Council of Asia recognises the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF) as the IDBF Continental Federation with responsibility for Dragon Boat Sport in Asia.
In China, the origin of Dragon Boating, there is a clear position that Dragon Boat Sport is not a canoe sport, a position supported by the Chinese Olympic Committee; the GAISF Council and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Dragon Boating, under the ADBF is now included in the East Asian Games; the South East Asian games, the Asian Beach Games and from 2010 the Asian Games.
[edit] Racing events
The IDBF has organised World Nations Dragon Boat Racing Championships (WDBRC) for Representative National or Territorial teams every two years since 1995. In between world championship years, IDBF Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) are held for the world's top club-based crews.
In 2005 the IDBF introduced a Corporate and Community World Championships (WCorcom) designed for crews that normally race in Festival Races and aimed at the 'weekend warrior' type of competitor and not the elite International standard or serious Club Crew competitor.
In 2006 under the patronage of the IDBF, the 1st World Championships for Breast Cancer Survivors - the 'Pink Paddlers' were held in Singapore. The 2nd BCS World Championships will be held in Miami, Florida, USA in July 2009, in conjunction with the World Corcom Championships
2006 CCWC took place at the Western Beaches Watercourse, just off scenic Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto’s west end. Spectators and dragon boat fans from across North America – and the world – came out to spend the day on Toronto’s beautiful waterfront and cheer on their favourite Dragon Boat crews. Over 2000 competitors took part and the event generated over 2 million dollars Canadian for the local economy.
Both the ADBF and EDBF also hold National Team Championships on alternate years to the IDBF WDBRC and the EDBF have held Club Crew Championships since 1992.
| Year | Type | Host City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | WDBRC | Yueyang |  China |
| 1996 | CCWC | Vancouver |  Canada |
| 1997 | WDBRC | Hong Kong | China |
| 1998 | CCWC | Wellington |  New Zealand |
| 1999 | WDBRC | Nottingham |  United Kingdom |
| 2001 | WDBRC | Philadelphia |  United States |
| 2002 | CCWC | Rome |  Italy |
| 2003 | WDBRC | Poznan[2] |  Poland |
| 2004 | CCWC | Cape Town |  South Africa |
| 2004 | WDBRC | Shanghai[2] | China |
| 2005 | WDBRC | Berlin |  Germany |
| 2006 | CCWC | Toronto | Canada |
| 2007 | WDBRC | Sydney |  Australia |
| 2008 | CCWC | Penang |  Malaysia |
| 2009 | WDBRC | Poznan | Poland |
| 2010 | CCWC | Macau | China |
| 2011 | WDBRC | Tampa Bay | USA |
[edit] International 'festival' dragon boat races
The oldest International Festival Races are those held in Hong Kong annually. The HKIR have been held since 1976 and are acknowledged as starting the modern era of the dragon boat sport.
The biggest dragon boat festival racing events outside of Asia are in Europe, particularly in Malmö, Sweden and in the USA and Canada. Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal each host races featuring more than 180 25-person crews. These races take place over two days in mid-to-late June in correspondence with the 5th Day of the 5th Month custom.
[edit] Dragon boat on Olympic torch relay
During 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, a dragon boat was used to carry the torchbearer in the section on Shing Mun River, Shatin, Hong Kong (on date May 2, 2008). This had been never tried before in the history of Olympic torch relays.[3] One day later (on date May 3, 2008), such the method of torch relay was used once more in the section on Lago Sai Van (English: Sai Van Lake), Macau.[4]
The first recorded use of a DragonBoat for the torch relay was for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. During the Sydney stage a Local Dragonboat club in Sydney, "Dragon Sports Association (DSA)" carried a torchbearer & Olympian along a section of the Parramatta River towards the Sydney Olympic Complex. For the full story refer to the DSA's document/download section [4].
[edit] See also
- Dragon Boat Festival
- International Dragon Boat Federation
- Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York
- Phoenix boat
- Swan boat
- Snake boat race (Vallam Kali)
- War Canoe
- Okinawan Haarii
[edit] References
- ^ Dragon Boats a Celebration by Pat Barker ISBN 1-55192-079-4
- ^ a b The 5th World Championships were originally to be held in Shanghai, but were postponed due the outbreak of SARS. As a result, World Championships were held in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- ^ "Crowds Cheer Olympic Torch in Hong Kong", The Wall Street Journal, 2008-05-02. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
- ^ "Criminals see gold at Olympics", Toronto Star, 2008-05-04. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
[edit] External links
- International Dragon Boat Federation
- Dragon Boating at the Open Directory Project
- Dragon Boat Net
- Dragon Boat World Int. - the worlds dragon boat magazine
- Dragon Boat World Directory A worldwide directory of Dragon Boat Clubs
- [5] Survivor Dragon Boating: A Vehicle to Reclaim and Enhance Life After Treatment for Breast Cancer
- Dragon Boating Singapore: Outdoor fun or Water Torture!?
[edit] International governing organisations
[edit] National governing organisations
- Australia Australian Dragon Boat Federation
- Canada Dragon Boat Canada
- Czech Republic Czech Dragon Boat Association
- Hong Kong Hong Kong Dragon Boat Association
- Italy Italian Dragon Boat Federation
- Philippines Philippine Dragon Boat Federation PDBF
- Singapore The Singapore Dragon Boat Association
- United Kingdom British Dragon Boat Racing Association website
- United States United States Dragon Boat Federation
[edit] International dragon boat clubs
- Adelaide, South Australia Powerblades Dragonboat Club -->
- Sydney, New South Wales Dragon Sports Association (DSA) -->
