Posted in: Press Releases

August 12th, 2010

Four Canadian dragon boat racing teams from British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, August 11, celebrated their recent victory at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival with their sponsors at a downtown Vancouver restaurant.

The four teams, all from the False Creek Racing Canoe Club (FCRCC), won one gold, two silver, and one bronze trophy in the newly introduced “mega” carnival in Hong Kong in three categories – mixed, open, and women’s international championship.

Their trip to Hong Kong was sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Toronto, and supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

About 30 members of the Vancouver media also took part in the “welcome back” celebration to share the joy with the HSBC-FCRCC Dragon Boat Teams at Kirin Seafood Restaurant. The captain of the four teams, Mr Kerry Chow, took the opportunity to thank the sponsors for making their trip possible. “We’ll go back to Hong Kong to defend our titles,” he said. “We’ll be returning with eight teams next year.”

The Director of the HKETO in Toronto, Ms Maureen Siu, described Hong Kong as the birthplace of modern dragon boat racing in her welcoming remarks. “Dragon boating in Canada began at the World Expo in Vancouver in 1986, when the city was given six dragon boats by Hong Kong,” she said. “Now this event has become a popular sporting activity in major cities across Canada, and evolved beyond festivals to include community, charity and sport racing in many different combinations.”

HKTB’s Director of Canada, Central and South America, Mr Michael Lim, said that the participation of the four high-calibre British Columbia teams in this year’s carnival could pave the way for more teams from other Canadian provinces to compete in the international dragon boat races in Hong Kong in future.

The False Creek Racing Canoe Club is one of Canada’s leading paddle clubs and celebrates its silver jubilee this year. The club’s dragon boat teams have excelled at many national and international competitions and have won the Hong Kong championships five times in previous years.

Supported by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Mega Events Fund, the Dragon Boat Carnival took place from July 23 to 25 in Victoria Harbour with great success. It was one of the highlights of the HKTB’s annual “Summer Festivities”, with more than 4,000 athletes representing 190 teams from 12 countries or regions competing for the trophies.

Mr Kerry Chow (left) and key members of the four Canadian dragon boat racing teams from False Creek in Vancouver with the representatives of their sponsoring organisations - HSBC's District Vice President, Ms Jocelyn Hsiung (second from left); Director, Canada and Central and South America, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr Michael Lim (fourth from left); and Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto, Ms Maureen Siu (fifth from left).

Chinese version on next page.

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