KOTA KINABALU: ith the 7th Sabah International Dragon Boat Race is less than two months away, preparations for the race is now in full swing to ensure that it will be smoothly and successfully organised, said Tan Sri T.C Goh, President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), the official organiser for the Race.
The internationally-renowned cultural sport event is finally making a comeback after a two-year hiatus, following the government’s decision recently to lift all Covid-19 restrictions, as the nation transitioned into endemic stage of Covid-19, and allowed all socio-economic activities to resume.
It will be held at the Likas Bay here, starting with the preliminary rounds on July 2 (Saturday), and followed by the finals on July 3 (Sunday). It will be officiated by Sabah Head of State, Tun Dr Juhar Mahiruddin on July 3, at 9 am, accompanied by Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor. Both of them are also expected to join the crowd in watching the final races, besides officiating at the prize presentation ceremonies.
While presiding over the meeting of its organizing committee at FCAS office here today, Goh who is also President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) extended his warm invitation to all the Chinese organizations in the country, especially those Peninsular-based dragon boat teams which participated in the Race previously, to make a comeback this year.
He acknowledged that their participation in this year’s Race would be especially significant towards the preservation and promotion of Chinese culture and tradition in Malaysia.
“In view of the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be over, we are expecting fewer participants from overseas. Hence, we hope to receive good domestic participations from various states in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as our neighboring state of Sarawak,” he explained.
He also highlighted that the Sabah International Dragon Boat Race which is famous for its ‘multiracial-and-harmonious’ features, is a popular cultural event for both the local folks and foreign tourists.
“It is undeniably a unique and beautiful annual cultural event of Malaysia, and we hope Chinese clan organizations and cultural bodies from Peninsular Malaysia could actively partake in it, to experience its uniqueness, as well as to touch base with their fellow Malaysians in east Malaysia,” he said.
He continued that the last time the Race was held was three years ago, in June 2019; it was also officiated by Sabah Head of State, Tun Dr Juhar Mahiruddin. It attracted more than 100 teams of participants from such countries like China, Brunei, and Philippines.
Meanwhile, in her briefing, FCAS deputy president Datuk Susan Wong who is also the Organising Chairman for the Race disclosed that to make the event more meaningful and memorable, it would feature a dumpling-making competition, with the prize presentation ceremony to be held on the same day.
Besides this, the FCAS youth wing too will undertake to organize a 7-km sunset run, also on Sunday, and it is estimated to attract around 500 participants. It will commence at the Likas Bay running towards the KK City, and then back to the finishing line at Likas Bay.
Noting that the Organising Committee has started to receive participations, Wong urged those who are keen to participate to sign up early. This is so that the Organising Committee could fix the training schedules for them, smoothly.
“The participating teams can choose to conduct their training either at the Sutera Harbour Resort, or at the Gayang pier located under the Menkabong Bridge, in Tuaran. We will station three units of dragon boats at each venue, for the participants to train,” she said.
Both domestic and overseas participants who are keen to partake in the Race can always contact FCAS Secretariat at: 088-253433, or Terry Tsen (017–8596674), for registration. The closing date for registration is on 15 June, 2022.
