Besides festivals and fairs like the recently-concluded Ajyal, the ongoing Doha Book Fair 2018 and the Doha Burger Festival which opened just today (December 4), there's one more reason why the first week of December deserves all of our attention—the Dragon Boat Festival 2018!
Prepare to get mesmerized as Grand Hyatt Doha hosts this year's edition of the team sport event that will require a total of 20 paddlers in one dragon boat to row as a team in order to reach the finish line as fast as they can, according to the July 2018 interview of Angry Dragons Qatar's (ADQ) with ILoveQatar.Net.
"And because it's a team sport, coordination will play a big role towards the team's fate. The more coordinated the team is, the more likely they'll cross the finish line and beat their opponents," according to ADQ founder Jeff Ching.
Dragon boat racing is a 2000 year old Chinese tradition and is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The tradition is believed to have originated from fertility rites performed to ensure bountiful crops, but over the centuries a second story was integrated to honour the Chinese patriot and poet Qu Yuan.
Today, the team sport is being governed by the International Dragon Boat Federation and its member countries, and has evolved into a professional water sport practiced in over 75 countries.
Dragon boat racing made its humble appearance in Qatar on September 2013 under the generous support of the Grand Hyatt Doha. Their competitions have grown each year with local and regional participation and continues to attract paddlers from all backgrounds and athletic ability.
The action will kick off at exactly 8:00 AM this coming Friday (December 7, 2018) and will continue until 5:00 PM.
Here's a rundown of the statistics that are set to unfold on the day itself:
Besides the race, there will also be a dragon boat team costume contest happening on the sidelines. The ILQ team is privileged to judge the team with the best costume and the winner will get an awesome prize!
Also, the International Physiotherapy Centre will be supporting the racers. They're ready to provide treatment and sports massages at the end of each race.
Watching the races is FREE of charge for spectators.
Team registration is still open. To enter your team and view the full competition rules, click HERE.
To know more about Qatar Dragon Boat, check out their website and social media links below!
Website: https://qatardragonboat.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qatar...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Qata...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/qatardrago...
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channe...
Email address: [email protected]
Phone: (+974) 5505 2204
How excited are you for this year's edition of the Dragon Boat Festival? Let us know by dropping a comment and also, don't forget to like and share this article—it keeps us going!
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