Is dragon boating a sport?

Question

I know that the event originated in Asia as a cultural festival, and understand that it is popular. However, I have never seen it in the Olympics and wonder if it is considered a sport. Also, how popular is it? Would anyone watch it on TV if it were broadcast?

Answer 1

yes definately

Answer 2

It is a HUGE sport. The World dragonboat championships were held in Berlin this year and attracted teams from round the globe. You haven't seen it in the Olympics because getting it there is a long an involved process.

If there is a paddle sport (and at present there are marathon canoe races and four-man canoe races) then the committee tries to decide whether the new sport will supplant an old sport or be added to the schedule, which is costly. This same thing happened a few years back with karate, which is a very old sport, but both karate and Tai Kwan Do had applied for olympic status, and TKD won.

Before you can even apply for olympic consideration, you have to hold a number of world competitions, and quite frankly, some sports are just as happy to stay with the world competitions instead of entering the already-crowded arena of the Olympics.

Dragon boating is great fun to watch, as the 500m sprints are done on a head-to-head basis, so it's like watching a horse race, and the crowds start yelling and screaming as the teams near the finish line. At a recent Alcan dragon boat festival, in Vancouver, they put in a gut-buster category -- a 2,000m race, which meant teams had to do turns around a buoy at the end of the course, which added yet another element.

Another sport that is gaining popularity around the world is Outrigger sprinting -- again over a 500m course, but with turns, so a team that can do turns can really pick up time over a team that is just fast and strong on the straight stretches. The Worlds, held last spring in New Zealand, drew teams from Europe, North and South America and all around the Pacific. The next Worlds for outriggers will be in Sacremento, California.

That's probably more information than you wanted, but it's a subject I'm passionate about.