KUCHING, Sept 4 — A total of 47 teams from 13 countries will compete in the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Race to be held on October 26 and 27 this year at the Kuching Waterfront.
The race will be part of the Sarawak Regatta-Kuching Waterfront Festival 2019 to be held from October 25 to Nov 3, said Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said apart from Malaysia which will feature teams from Sarawak, Sabah, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, the dragon boat race will see competitors from Indonesia, Singapore, China, Brunei, Thailand, Australia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Myanmar, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
This year’s race has attracted five new countries, including the United States, which will send a team of 65 rowers to the competition featuring five categories.
The Sarawak Regatta in turn will feature 13 categories, while side events for the festival include the Gendang Melayu Sarawak festival, handicraft and food sales, and the Sound Of Borneo and Waterfront Idol concerts.
The minister said this to reporters after a ceremony held in Petra Jaya here to receive donations to the festival in the form of mock cheques from Petronas (RM500,000), Petra Energy Berhad (RM100,000), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration (Malaysia) Limited (RM30,000) and Ta Ann Holdings Berhad (RM30,000). — Bernama
