World Championships to
be held in False Creek

A record number of over-
seas dragon boat teams
are participating in False
Creek, representing the
first-ever World Champ-
ionship Dragon Boat
Festival to be held out-
side Asia,

The World Championship
Dragon Boat Festival runs
from Saturday, June 15
through Sunday, June 23° at
Concord Pacific Place. the
Plaza of Nations and an the
waters of False Creek. The
first weekend of the event.
designated the Regatta
Weekend, features the tradi-
tional Dragon Blessing ritual,
the Opening Ceremonies and
two days of local team com-
petition, The World Champ-
tonship weekend of the festi-
val, June 21 through 23,
includes three days of enter-
tainment, food fair and craft
exhibitions and two days of
intense international race
competition,

International Teams
Coordinator Adcian Lee
announced in early May that
six nations would be repre-
sented in this year’s races on
the waters of False Creek,
with a total of 18 teams com-
ing from Australia, Germany,
New Zealand, The People’s
Republic of China, the
Philippines and the U.S.A.

“This is a very special
year for dragon boat racing in
Vancouver,” said Lee. “Our
sport began in this city as part
of the festivities surrounding
Expo ‘86, so we are celebrat-
ing our tenth anniversary. it is
also the first time a World
Championship has been held
outside of Asia and we are
delighted to have been select-
ed for that honor.”

Local team registrations

have also reached an all-time
high, buoyed by the excite-
rhent surrounding the two
weeks of racing.

Team Registrar Becki
Wong reported a final regis-
tration of 109 local wams for
the 1996 races, up from 92 in
1995. Another [2 visiting
teams are attending from
across Canada.

The grand total of 139
teams faking part in this
year’s races will put more
than 3,000 participants on the
walee over the two weekends
of racing.

Dragon Boat racing wits
first introduced to Canadians
at Expo ‘86, The races were
an instant hit in: Vancouver.
and it soon became an annual
competition, exploding into a
full-fledged Festival in 1989,
Today, the Canadian
International Dragon Bout
Festival attracts over 110,000
visitors annually,

The first International
Dragon Boat Federution
(DBF) sanctioned World
Dragon Boat Racing
Championship (WDBR)
races were held last year in
Yue Yang in the People’s
Republic of China.

WODBR events are desig-
nated for national crews, with
one (eam participating from
each represented nation, and
take place every other year,
the next one scheduled for
Hong Kong in 1997,

The 1996 Vancouver-host-
ed event will be the first World
Club Crew Championships
(WCC). These events enable a
number of teams from each
competing nation to take part,
representing their individual
clubs. WCC events will also
take place every other year,
with the next one scheduled
for Wellington, New Zealand
in 1998.

ems

NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge

MYTH and legend surround the history of dragon boat racing. It began more than
2,000 years ago on the banks of the life-sustaining rivers in the valleys of south-
ern China as a fertility rite performad to ensure bountiful crops. Vancouver plays
host to the World Championship Dragon Boat Festival later this month.

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festival
facts

Festival Hours

Regatta Weekend —
June 15 & 16
Festival Heurs: 9:30
a.m, te 6 p.m
Races: 11:20 am. to 6
p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to
6 p.m. Sunday

World Championship
Weekend — June 21,
22 & 23

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9
a.m. to 6 p.m, Sunday.

Races: 9 a.m to 6 pm

Saturday, 9 am ta 4 pm
Sunday.

Ticket Information:

Festival ~— Passport
(includes both weekends):
$10;

@ Single Admiss

the Regatla Wee :

@ Single Admission for
the World Championship
Weekend: $8:

& Giroup rates (10 people
or more) are available
through the Dragon Boat
Festival office at 688-
2382.

Festival guests requir-
ing wheelchair or other
assistance will receive a
two-for-one admission.

Festival Passports are
available at all
Ticketmaster, Canada Trust
and 7-Eleven convenience
store outlets,

Single admission tick-
ets are available at the gate,

anes i 4
ae INTERNA DRAGON BOAT
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