Press Release - June 23, 2002

Tens of thousands Canadians watching the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival on Toronto Centre Island today (June 23) were thrilled by the �Hong Kong Dragon Boat Championship Race�, sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO) to mark the 5th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Six international mixed teams who entered the final round of the two-day race festival, competed vigorously for the unique �Hong Kong Special Administrative Region�s (HKSAR) 5th Anniversary Cup�. After very keen competition, the New York DCH Dragon Boat Racing Club emerged the winner and the Hong Kong representative team, the Hong Hing Yiu Kee Dragon Boat Team, came very close as first runner-up. The Dragon Boat Club of Boston was the second runner-up.

Presenting the �HKSAR 5th Anniversary Cup� to the winning teams, the Director of HKETO, Mrs Rosanna Ure, said: �The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Championship Race is a token to mark the 5th Anniversary of the HKSAR Government since Hong Kong�s reunification with China on July 1, 1997. We want to share our joy with our Canadian friends and at the same time to promote to the mainstream Canadian community our new global brand identity as Asia�s world city.�

This year�s Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival was participated by 210 dragon boat teams, including those from Hong Kong, Canada, USA and Europe. It was described as one of the largest international dragon boat races organized outside Hong Kong.

Apart the �Hong Kong Dragon Boat Championship Cup� as the highlights of the two-day festival, a variety of fun-filled games organized by the HKETO such as face painting, computer quizzes and children�s painting sessions, proved to be extremely popular. Brand Hong Kong souvenirs distributed at the HKETO booth were much sought after, reflecting that the �flying dragons� of Hong Kong were very well received.

To commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, HKETO has organized a series of business and cultural events in Toronto, which included a Hong Kong Film Festival, an investment seminar and the Dragon Boat Race Festival. Other upcoming events include an urban planning seminar and a 5th Anniversary Reception, which are to be held tomorrow (June 24) at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.



For more information, please contact:
John Tam, Chief Information Officer of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416) 924-5544 or email: [email protected] or Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected].