header

About Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing originated in China over 2500 years ago. While competition has taken place annually for more than 20 centuries as part of folk ritual, it emerged in modern times as an international sport in Hong Kong in 1976.

Dragon boats are 12m long canoe-like boats with twenty people two abreast, along with a sweep to steer the boat and a drummer. For competition events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. Competitions are divided into separate categories depending on the mix of gender and age of the paddlers over a course of 200m, 500m, 1000m or 2000m. Some competitions also have categories for 10 paddlers.

Dragon boat racing is among the fastest growing of team water sports, with thousands of participants in over 60 countries. The sport is recognised for the camaraderie, strength and endurance of participants.

Further information about dragon boating can be found on Wikipedia.

Dragon Boat Racing in Canberra

Dragon boating was introduced to Canberra in 1990 and the governing body Canberra Dragon Boats Association Inc. (CDBA) was established in 1995.  Diamond Phoenix was founded in 2006 as Canberra's only all-women's club. Canberra is home to over ten teams and approximately 900 paddlers.

CDBA is a member of the Australian Dragon Boat Federation (AusDBF), which in turn is a member of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF).

For further information please email us at: diamondphoenix_dbclub@yahoo.com.au