More than 200 dragon boat teams have signed up to compete in the 2023 SJM Macao International Dragon Boat Races, says the head of the Sports Bureau Pun Weng Kun.
According to Macau Post Daily, the sport’s official said that 17 teams were foreign, coming from Australia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. He was speaking to reporters yesterday at the traditional religious ceremonies and eye-dotting rituals held before the races.
The event is due to take place at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre over the weekend and also next Thursday, a public holiday.
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Pun also revealed that this year a new Hong Kong-Macau Cup competition would be held for the best team competing in both the Macao races and the Hong Kong races, which are slated for 24 and 25 June.
International invitational races and university races were both suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and are making their return after a three-year hiatus.
Daisy Ho, the managing director of sponsors SJM Resorts, told reporters earlier this year that the company was honoured to “continue to showcase traditional Chinese sports culture, nurture young talent, and draw international attention to this intangible cultural heritage”.
