Abd Karim: Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta showcases culture and unity

KUCHING (Oct 28): The Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta serves to promote Kuching as a gateway to Sarawak, showcasing its rich heritage, culture, and culinary discoveries, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

The Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said his ministry has consistently supported regional and international events generously, emphasising that such events are crucial for increasing the number of visitors to the state and benefitting local businesses.

“The Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta is part of the bigger Kuching Waterfront Festivals which also includes the Craft Bazaar, Sarawak Kitchen and the nightly Cultural Fiesta.

“The Sarawak Regatta will happen next weekend at the same venue, where local traditional Kenyalang boat races will compete for the ‘King of Rivers’ or ‘Rajah Sungei’ title,” he said in his speech at the prize giving ceremony held at a leading hotel here last night.

His text of speech was read by Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan, who represented him.

Meanwhile, participants of the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta gathered for a celebration party, remaining in high spirits.

As the winning teams eagerly received their awards, they exchanged gifts and jerseys, signifying their camaraderie in the sport.

The University of Hong Kong Dragon Boat Team had an unforgettable moment, bringing home RM7,000 and RM5,000 for the DB12 Premier Open and DB20 Premier Mix categories, respectively. They also earned RM1,000 for third runner-up in the DB12 Premier Women category.

According to 24-year-old teammate Katrina Lau, it was not their first time in Kuching as they had competed in previous editions.

“We’re very happy and grateful for this experience; we definitely learnt a lot from this competition.

“And because we are a university team, we have a lot of new teammates joining every year when they come in as freshmen.

“It is always like a new training season with them every year, even happier to see them grow through the competition,” she said when met last night.

Sabah’s Jetama Entulon Family Tuaran also brought home RM7,000 after a nail-biting finish for first place in the DB20 Premier Open category.

During the grand finals, they battled neck-and-neck with Machong Dabu Dragonboat Club, their fiercest competitor in the competition, alongside finalists SPTB Brunei Darussalam and Landas A.