"Hong Kong Spirit" Soars at Dragon Boat Race Festival

Spectators in their thousands cheered on competitors for the “Hong Kong 10th Anniversary Cup”, a new category at Toronto’s International Dragon Boat Race Festival.

Held June 16 and 17, 180 teams with over 5,000 paddlers battled for this new prize and the Grand Championship at the Festival. The Outer Harbour Dragonboat Club "Mayfair Predators" emerged as championship winner with a very close score. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada), Mr. Bassanio So, said this special race reflected the well-respected "Hong Kong can-do spirit" and the resilience of Hong Kong people.

"Over the past 10 years,” he said, “Hong Kong has enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, as stipulated in the Basic Law. We have encountered many challenges, but we have successfully dealt with them with our 'Can-do' spirit. We have also strengthened our status as Asia's world city and world's major financial centre." 

The Festival also featured a preview of an exhibition entitled "Five Decades under the Lion Rock - Courage, Aspiration & a Prosperous Future" showing a collection of photographs taken by Hong Kong and Canadian photographers in Hong Kong during the last 50 years.

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