THE Boracay Island Paddlers Association (BIPA) celebrated the dragon boat spirit of sportsmanship and international camaraderie by holding the 10th Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival at Station 2 White Beach in Boracay.
The fun-filled event was the biggest yet with 21 dragon boat teams – including 10 foreign teams from the US, Dubai, China, Hong Kong and Singapore – participating.
Dragon boat racing traces its roots to an ancient folk ritual of contending villagers, which has been held for over 2,000 years throughout southern China. It is much more than just a race and carries religious and community observances along with competition.
Boracay, on the other hand, is often described as a piece of heaven right here on earth. It is renowned for its breathtaking white sand beaches and is among the most popular tourist destination by tourists from around the world.
No small wonder therefore that the Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival, open to club teams, has gained a name for itself to be the event to attend among the dragon boat community worldwide.
This annual race is among the most well-attended by foreign teams in the Philippines, making it one of the biggest annual, international sports events in the country.
Many events in different parts of the Philippines have tried to make their event international but foreign teams do not participate. It is only in Boracay where they participate with increasing number of paddlers each time.
Among the Philippine teams that participated were three teams from Manila, two teams from Cebu, one team from Dumaguete and five local teams from Boracay.
The event started with the ceremonial dotting of the eye of the dragon which symbolizes the awakening of the dragons and start of the festival. Dragons' eyes dotting were performed by Malay Vice Mayor Wilbec Gelito as well as Henann Resort representatives Dindo and Cynthia Carreon.
The 10th Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival at Station 2 White Beach in Boracay was another triumph for the Boracay paddlers group with international teams joining the fun-filled event.
