BAU: The two-day Jong regatta of miniature boats starts tomorrow at Tasik Biru, a lake at the outskirts of the town here, as part of the Tasik Biru festival.
Bau District Officer and the festival’s organising committee chairman Inting Nyami said on Wednesday the regatta of the miniature boats, called Jong locally, was not included in the festival last year because of time and budget constraint.
“It has been included this year due to popular demand and we are definitely ready to host it. We hope many will participate in this Bau signature event,” he added.
The organisers (Bau District Council) disclosed that the Jong races this time would be determined based on the best timing recorded by the boats competing in their respective category.
Before this, Jong boat race winners were only determined by the first Jong boat that crossed the finishing line. According to Inting, the rule change was necessary due to complaints from the participants and he hoped that there would be no dispute or argument regarding the winners of each category this time.
“We received many reports regarding participants not satisfied with the result. Some complained about the wind factor, water conditions… we hope the new format will make all participants happy,” he said.
The Tasik Biru Festival which was formerly known as Bau Jong Festival is included in the Sarawak Tourism Ministry’s calendar of events.