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JAKARTA, May 20 (APD) – Indonesian capital of Jakarta held on Saturday the initial Dragon Boat Festival in the city which contends tens of male and female teams racing in various groups, highly expected to become an annual event in years to come.
The organizer, Jakarta Paddle Club and Bahtera Rowing Club, has prepared four dragon boats and racing lanes in Bay of Jakarta which is located near a prominent shopping arcade of Jakarta Baywalk Mall in the coastal northern part of the capital city.
An official of the organizer said that Dragon Boat has gained more popularity among locals and foreigners working in the capital city. She said that Dragon Boat has unique mixture of sports, entertainment and multi-cultural interactions.
“The teams taking part in this event are 28 with total paddlers of 548 people. They are expected to take part in the following festival next year. We are hoping this festival can be adopted by Jakarta administration as an annual event,” Qurrotul Ayun said here.
She added that the day-long event was also a good occasion to seek potential national athletes to take part in international dragon boat and paddling events.
Dozens of trophies and hundreds of medals have been prepared by the organizer for the winner teams for each category in the dragon boat racing, she added.
Besides promoting dragon boat competition in the capital city, the event, which was also co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta, was also aimed at raising awareness on coastal ecosystem condition in the country, she added.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
