PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Over 1,000 paddlers from different Asian countries gathered in Puerto Princesa City’s The Baywalk on Friday to compete in the Asian Dragon Boat Championships.
This event was significant for the Philippines and Puerto Princesa as it marked the first time they served as host for the water-sport event.
The Asian championships had a total of 10 events in different distances with participants from Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
By the end of the races, Japan emerged as winner of the 500m Small Boat Category.
The competition was organized by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation (PCKF), which will also be holding the 2016 Puerto Princesa International Club Crew Championships the next day.
The event will feature at least 30 foreign and domestic clubs from Germany, the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore and Chinese Taipei, among others, on Nov. 12 to 13 right after the Asian championships.
The Philippine Dragon Boat Team got its fair share of wins after a string of performances that yielded three gold medals in the recent International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Azer Parrocha/PNA-northboundasia.com