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Dragon boats ride Latin wave of popularity

CHINADAILY · 公众号 · 时评 · 2024-11-22 18:26

正文

▲ Paddlers race during a 'dragon boat' regatta at Dock 1 of Puerto Madero on Feb 4, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Luciano Gonzalez/Anadolu/GETTY IMAGES

The traditional Chinese sport of dragon boat racing has swept across Latin America over the last decade.

It has spread from one country to another, becoming increasingly competitive, spawning social teams, driving teamwork, inspiring the healing of cancer survivors, and fostering deep and strong links with China.

Popular with sports enthusiasts and amateurs, corporate and social teams are promoting camaraderie, teamwork and cultural exchanges.

"It's a sport where coordination and teamwork truly bring everyone together, working as one, without one person standing out more than another," said Sergio Maximiliano Bracco, an Argentine dentist and avid dragon boat paddler.

Bracco, 51, is fascinated by the inclusive nature of a sport that allows women, men, people with disabilities, and the fit and not so fit, to work together with a single purpose.

"I was amazed to see at the last (Paradragons) World Championship amputees, paraplegics, and especially blind athletes competing and coordinating their paddling perfectly in boats with 12 and 22 paddlers, even though they lack one of the senses," Bracco told China Daily.

The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) holds Paradragons as a separate category for paddlers with some form of physical impairment during the Dragon Boat World Championship. The last championship was held in Thailand in 2023 and the next one will be staged in Germany in 2025.

When paddling, Bracco usually sits in the "rocket" position, the last row of the boat, providing power or extra paddling.

Bracco has competed in the sport since 2019, when the Argentine Dragon Boat Association, the country's official organizer of dragon boat races, was formed. His participation was spurred by a friend who was interested in Chinese culture.

"We used to row together in Puerto Madero, and one day we saw a sign inviting us to try out this 'new' sport. We went, and that's where it all began," said Bracco.

Their first instructor was Diego Laje, an Argentine who lived in Beijing and Hong Kong for years.

Bracco and his team now train with Mauricio Acuna Kluge, a professional kayaker, in boats that hold 12 or 22 paddlers.

Last year, Bracco participated in the 16th International Dragon Boat Federation World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. He also competed in this year's 14th IDBF Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy.

"The sport is just beginning to grow in Argentina. Together as an association and paddlers, we are learning and evolving side by side," said Bracco.

▲ Wang Wei, China's ambassador to Argentina, paints the dragon's eyes to begin the event. Luciano Gonzalez/Anadolu/GETTY IMAGES

Long tradition

Dragon boat racing started in ancient China more than 2,000 years ago. It is traditionally linked to the legend of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet and statesman from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

According to legend, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River to protest corruption. Locals rushed to the river in long boats but were too late to save him. They beat drums and splashed their paddles in the water to honor Qu's memory and ward off evil spirits. That tradition evolved into modern dragon boat racing.

Today, the sport is commemorated annually during the Dragon Boat Festival — on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar — in late May or early June.

Dragon boats are long, narrow, and adorned with intricate designs. Teams of paddlers, along with a drummer to set the rhythm and a person to steer, race over a set distance.

Along with the drummer and helmsman, standard boats have 18 to 20 paddlers and smaller boats have eight to 10.

As a competitive event, modern dragon boat racing began in the late 20th century, with the first international dragon boat races organized in Hong Kong in 1976.

The IDBF was formed in 1991. Since then, dragon boat racing has spread worldwide with major competitions held in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America.

The IDBF estimates that more than 50 million participate in races in China alone.

Worldwide there are over 300,000 paddlers in the UK and Europe, 90,000 in Canada and the US, and hundreds of thousands in Asia, the Caribbean and Africa.

Dragon boat racing requires 22 people to work together, and they are rewarded as a crew rather than as individuals.

"This harmony of purpose can only be achieved through many hours of training in the boat, learning to be a complete crew and developing the team spirit and understanding necessary to work together, as one unit, for the common good," according to the IDBF.

▲ A teacher explains dragon boat racing to children at a primary school in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in June, 2023. Lin Chunyin/China News Service

Healing benefits

The vigorous sport quickly has attracted avid paddlers looking to stay fit. But somewhat unexpectedly it has also attracted enthusiasts who have discovered its significant healing benefits. This is particularly true among women recovering from breast cancer.

While team training is demanding, dragon boat groups have helped breast cancer survivors thrive — overcoming not just cancer, but any doubts about their capabilities on the water.

This was the goal of Floribeth Campos de Finizio, president of Pink Warriors Panama, when she started the dragon boat team with 14 members five years ago.

Originally setting out to inspire survivors to "move forward after cancer", Pink Warriors Panama has grown to a 40-member team.

"Many of the women who row today had never done sports before, so this is a great achievement for a group like ours," de Finizio told China Daily. "We are incredibly proud of everything we've achieved. We proved that it's possible to become athletes after cancer."

A growing pool of academic research has shown that dragon boat racing can make a significant difference in helping survivors who have undergone breast cancer treatment or surgery to recover.

Research pioneered by Don McKenzie at Canada's University of British Columbia in 1996 found paddling helps cancer survivors avoid painful swelling caused by lymph node removal.

Inspired by McKenzie's work and subsequent research, "pink boat" events have sprouted across Latin America. Teams promote the fitness and team-building benefits of joining a dragon boat team while spreading the word about its health benefits.

▲ A dragon boat crew competes during the Feb 4 regatta. Luciano Gonzalez/Anadolu/GETTY IMAGES

Pink warriors

Pink Warriors Panama began when an Argentine team asked de Finizio to search for other breast cancer survivors in Panama to join their team.

The Chinese-Panamanian Association was already hosting dragon boat races in Panama at the time, but there was no cancer survivor category.

So, de Finizio set out to start one while building a nonprofit organization to promote the sport.

"Our goal is to promote dragon boat paddling among cancer survivors as a sport that supports physical and emotional recovery. Paddling aids physical rehabilitation after mastectomy or breast cancer diagnosis," said de Finizio, who is also the president of Pink Warriors Panama's nonprofit board.

"Equally important, though, it offers psychological benefits. Being part of a team and community always seems to help people move forward in their cancer journey."

According to the International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission, there are now more than 260 breast cancer paddling teams across 33 countries.

Pink Warriors Panama has competed worldwide, from the idyllic mountain town of Bariloche in Argentina to Brazil, the Bahamas, and Miami in the United States.

A team delegation attended the World Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Championship in New Zealand and the World Club Championship in Ravenna ranking fifth in the 200-meter race — their strongest event.

"We are incredibly proud of everything we have achieved. We improved all our times and proved that it's possible to be athletes after cancer," de Finizio said.

"Many of the women who row today had never done sports in their lives, so this is a great achievement for a group like ours.

"We also aim to inspire others. That is truly our goal," she said.

▲ People race in dragon boats in Amador Causeway, Panama City, Panama, on Sept 29. Matias Delacroix/AP

Raising awareness

Dragon boat racing was already well-established in Brazil and Panama before pink boat events began spreading and further boosted the sport's popularity.

It is particularly popular in Argentina, where the sport first arrived in 2014. Over the past 10 years, it has gained significant traction.

Maria Bolatti, a 65-year-old doctor, is now an avid paddler, having been introduced to the sport through a breast cancer survivor's team.

In La Plata, a city near Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, Bolatti helped start a 10-member group called Dragones Rosas La Plata (La Plata Pink Dragons).

As membership grew, the team started training in various locations around the city.

Team members used kayaks and canoes to train until they received their first dragon boat five years ago.

The team members wear pink life vests and exercise at the Plaza Malvinas Argentinas park before getting on the water. Each member plays a role in preparing the boat, from attaching the dragon head to setting up the vital drum.

"I haven't stopped practicing this sport since 2019," Bolatti told China Daily.

Annual Lunar New Year celebrations in Buenos Aires now feature dragon boat races along the Puerto Madero riverfront showcasing local teams and drawing in large crowds.

In 2023, Argentina's national team debuted at the World Championships in Thailand. Silvia Caruso served as the team's helmswoman, which involves steering the boat and communicating with the crew. Caruso had previously participated in the Club World Championship in Ravenna.

Caruso's own experience with dragon boating has also evolved.

She aims to grow her Guardianas Rosas (Pink Guardians) team, which is made up solely of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

"The uniqueness of this team is that it is made up of women diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a great commitment. Beyond the physical exercise, it is highly beneficial for the recovery from the disease," Caruso said.

"We want to raise awareness about the benefits of practicing this sport and to promote early detection and care of the disease. We need the entire community's support to continue this project.

"I came looking to practice a water sport. I went to take rowing lessons and found a group of women practicing dragon boat paddling," said Caruso. "They invited me to join, and I've been practicing ever since.

"This discipline is very complete. You work your entire body: strength training, endurance, and, most importantly, your work as a team. Coordination is necessary. Everyone has a role. We are all important."

Dragon boat racing takes more than just physical training.

"It requires camaraderie, commitment, and discipline from every team member," said Caruso. "And through our efforts, we stay connected to nature itself."

Reporter: Jimena Esteban