Higher prizes for Sabah Int’l Dragon Boat Race

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KOTA KINABALU: The total cash prize for the Sabah International Dragon Boat Race has been increased from last year’s RM47,750 to RM80,000 this year.

Organising chairperson Datuk Susan Wong said the event this year, which is held in conjunction with the dumpling festival, expects the participation of more than 112 teams.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Susan said the Sabah International Dragon Boat Race, organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), will be held at Likas Bay here from June 13 to 14

FCAS has again been entrusted with the responsibility of organising this event, she said, and expressed hope that the number of participants for this year will increase, as compared to last year.

“Last year, our inaugural dragon boat race attracted 112 teams, including foreign participants from Singapore, Brunei, Australia and the Philippines. This year, there will be participants from China,” she said, adding that they have contacted Guangdong Province’s Guang Zhou City, Huizhou City, Qingyuan City, Dongguan City, Foshan City, Jiangmen City, Taishan City and Hubei Province’s Wuhan City.

The prize money for the various categories now are the Sabah Head of State Trophy – RM10,000/RM5,000/RM2,000, the Sabah Chief Minister Trophy – RM4,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the Sabah FCAS Dragon Trophy – RM8,000/RM4,000/RM2,000, the FCAS Trophy (USCCA, Mixed Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the FCAS Trophy (Men’s Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the FCAS Trophy (Mixed Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Junior Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Men’s Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000, the Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Mixed Team) – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000 and the Breast Cancer Survivor Trophy – RM3,000/RM2,000/RM1,000.

Susan also announced that the registration fee for this year’s dragon boat race has been increased from last year’s RM200 to RM300.

She disclosed that only the Sabah Head of State Trophy, Sabah FCAS Dragon Trophy, Breast Cancer Survivor Trophy, Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Men’s Team), and Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Mixed Team) are open to international teams.

The local Malaysian teams will participate in the Sabah Chief Minister Trophy and the Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Junior Team) 20 years old and under. Besides this, there is also a special category for the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Community Associations, under the FCAS Trophy.

The registration for the boat race starts on April 2 and closes on June 4, and those interested can contact the officials of its secretariat, Fanny Yong at 088 253 433/ 012 885 0827 and Victor Ting at 016 827 9675, for the registration forms.

The training venues for the teams are at the Sutera Harbour Marina Club and at Kampung Gayang, Tuaran, from April 2 to June 11.

She went on to say that prior to the boat race on June 13, the organiser will be hosting a welcoming dinner on June 12 for all the participants at the Sabah Hakka Hall in Tanjung Lipat here at 6pm, with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman as the guest of honour.

The preliminary race will begin on June 13 and followed by a Sunset Beach Party for the participants, with Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun as the guest of honour.

The race finale will be on June 14 with the Head of State, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, as the guest of honour to officiate at the event, and to present the prizes to the winners. There will also be side events like the Family Cuisine and Delicacies Cooking Show and Dumpling Cooking Competition, to add colour to the occasion.

In addition, there will be a photography competition for the public, with total prize money of RM5,000 to be won.

Also present at the news conference were the chief organising chairman for the event, Jimmy Yong Kyok Ming, its advertisement officer, Datuk Nancy Ho, and several other key committee members.