Guangdong province’s China Nanhai Jiujang team triumphed in both the open and women’s International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race finals on Monday, successfully defending its titles at the 2024 SJM Macao International Dragon Boat Races – held over three days at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre.
The open category included teams from Thailand, and Cambodia as well as local and other mainland Chinese teams. The Women’s category also featured teams from Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
In the Macao University Student Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race, the team from Liaocheng University (in Shandong province) managed to beat teams from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and Thailand’s Kasetsart University into second and third place, respectively.
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The 4th, 5th and 6th places went to local teams from Macao Polytechnic University, Macau University of Science and Technology and University of Macao.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng “enjoyed the races on-site,” according to the Sports Bureau, which co-organised the event. Ho also hosted the eye-dotting ceremony – the ritualistic painting of ‘pupils’ on the dragon boats’ eyes before a race – and the award presentation ceremony.
According to official figures, some 342,000 visitors came to Macao over the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend.
