IDBF Newsletter, March 2012 – Issue Number 27 Spring Edition

(uit het maart-magazine van de International Dragon Boat Federation)

DRAGONS COME TO ANTWERP – 

BELGIUM DRAGON BOATERS ARE BACK !

The first Port of Antwerp Dragon Boat Festival took place on 10 Sep 2011, with 44 teams from local businesses, clubs, neighbourhood associations, cafes and schools. The weather was perfect at the Kattendijkdok, near to the centre of Antwerp, where the festival took place.

The festivities were opened by the Hon Donald Tsang, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mr. Tsang reflected on the cultural and business ties between the two port cities and welcomed paddlers to come to Hong Kong where the IDBF World Club Crew Championship will be taking place in July 2012.

Peter Joos, Chairman of the Rotary Club Antwerp-West, said this year´s festival is just a small start to something big for Belgium and promised that the 2012 festival will have even more teams and activities.  But it wouldn´t have been possible tostage such an event without plenty of sponsors and the hard work of the Rotary Club Antwerpen-West and Rotary Cofra, who organized the event, recruited teams, arranged facilities and publicity, and provided a wonderful crew of helpful, friendly volunteers to keep things running smoothly and safely. Proceeds from the festival went towards restoring the three-master ship the Belgica,which will eventually be berthed nearby.

Belgium was one of the founding members of the EDBF back in 1990, but has not been active in the sport for the past several years, so it was nice to welcome Belgium back to the world of dragon boat racing as the festival also signalled the re-birth of racing teams in Belgium, as Kookeeny (pronounced like coke-n-aai), a group of sports fanatics stemming from a management training business of the same name (and first place winner of the mixed team races) purchased a dragon boat and is now hard at worktraining for other European races. Hopefully we will see them on the European scene soon!

For more information on the festival, visit their website: www.antwerpdragons.com.