Paddling on the Seine: Dragon boat racing at the Olympics

Dragon boat racing - derived from the traditional Chinese culture of the Duanwu or Dragon Boat Festival - is a demonstration sport at the Paris Olympics. It's the second Olympic demonstration appearance, following Tokyo 2020, for a sport seeking full Olympic recognition as an official competitive category.  

Not just practiced in China, and not only during the annual festival, dragon boat racing has already become a sport beyond borders, nationalities and cultures.

But where does the charm come from?

CGTN Europe went to paddle with a dragon boat club in London ahead of the Olympics to find out.

A sport for everyone

The Thames has long been the British people's love for water sports. The river is frequently full of people rowing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and rafting… Now, more and more people are embracing dragon boat racing as well.

Thames Dragons is a dragon boat racing club based in east London. Since being launched in 1993, the club has brought together numerous dragon boat enthusiasts from all around the world.

Thames Dragons chairman Tim Smith calls it "a sport for everyone." He told CGTN that most of the club members are from different backgrounds, careers and countries. At work, they are lawyers, bank dealers, engineers… but when they gather at the dock, they have only one identity: paddlers in a team.

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Team work is extremely important for dragon boat racing. Plunging the paddle in, pulling and twisting - the movements seem to be easy, but for dragon boat paddlers, it is only by pooling everyone's strengths together simultaneously that the boat moves smoothly forward. That's why the drummer and the coach are the key figures to the team.

The coach gives the order; the drummer leads the pace; and by pooling their sweat and effort, the whole crew work hard to rush their boat ahead at full speed.

Competing in the professional teams' race during the Dragon Boat Festival in Manchester, the Thames Dragons team finished fourth in the 250-meter race, one of their best rankings.

A history, and a life

For the members of the Thames Dragons, the sport is not only about honor. It also opens the door to a new life.

"We got so many people from different countries, it's diversity," said Amanda Fasham, paddler on the team. "Everybody brings something new."

Milton Suen is the youngest on the team. He said paddling on the team every week encouraged him to embrace the new life here in London after traveling alone from Hong Kong to study.

People love it for various reasons. "It brings people together in a way that a lot of sports try but can't," said Niall Daws. For Suen, it is about social life in a new environment, while for Bron Roberts, dragon boating helped her back to life after battling breast cancer. 

"Your body doesn't feel like it's yours anymore, and it's not doing what you wanted to do," Bron told CGTN Europe. But dragon boating helped her to build up herself physically and emotionally.  

In a way, her story echoes the Chinese tradition of the dragon boat. It began with poet and statesman Qu Yuan during the Warring States period (475 – 221 BC). He drowned himself out of his love for his country and people after failing to persuade the king and save the State of Chu from collapsing. The dragon boat festival was designated for people's efforts in saving his life.

As a sport for commemorating the unstoppable death of a historical figure, it now serves to save the life of more.

Paddling around the globe

While celebrating their new ranking during the competition in Manchester, the Thames Dragons have also been preparing for their next competition.

With a history dating back 2,000 years, the sport is now celebrated not just in China and the UK, but around the world. The paddlers of the Thames Dragons have already finished two competitions in Barcelona and Manchester, and they are now preparing for more to come.

A rising force on the international stage, dragon boat racing has been included in the Asian Games in 2010, 2018 and 2022. Having made its demonstration debut at Tokyo 2020, and appearing again at Paris 2024, the sport is one step closer to a larger stage.

Reporter: Michael Marillier

Cameraman: Tom Triebel

Video Editor: Kris Craven

Producer: Ai Yan

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