(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Irfan Bukhari | The Peninsula
For the first time, Qatar youth team will participate in Dragon Boat Festival set to take place on November 24.
Earlier, the amazing boat racing competition was held in March this year. Organised by Qatar Dragon Boat and sponsored by the Saracen Community Initiative, 'The Saracen Winter Dragon Boat Festival 2017 is set to be the largest competition to date with over '550 athletes participating in the one-day competition.
Jeff Ching, event organiser, told The Peninsula: 'Despite the recent political situation, our competitions continue to attract a diverse crowd of competitive and recreational dragon boat athletes. We are expecting a larger turnout this year compared to the previous festival held in March 2017.
The mission of Qatar Dragon Boat is to promote the growth and development of dragon boat racing in Qatar at all levels of competition. 'We strive to maintain the cultural traditions of the sport and to promote health and community through the sport of dragon boat racing. Ching said: 'This year, we have introduced and developed the first Qatar youth team to participate in our competition as well.
He said that Qatar Dragon Boat will hold two league races, which will be divided into a Premier League and a Recreational League. 'The Premier League will host men, mixed and women races and the Recreational League will feature teams that practice irregularly. The races are open to the public for free to watch and enjoy the event festivities at the Grand Hyatt Doha.
Ching said that there is an enormous potential for the sport of dragon boat racing to continue its growth trajectory in Qatar. 'Our competitions keep growing every year and this year we had to turn away teams due to overcapacity. One of the key attributes of dragon boat racing is that almost anyone can participate and there are many teams to choose from in Qatar.
After 'The Saracen Winter Dragon Boat Festival 2017, the next dragon boat festival is scheduled for 2018 National Sports Day.
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