Dragon Boats to make debut at Khelo India Festival on Dal Lake

Srinagar, Aug 19: Dragon boat racing will make a splash on Dal Lake this week as the Jammu and Kashmir Dragon Boat Association gears up for the Khelo India Water Sports Festival. The Delhi Dragon Boat Association has provided three latest-model boats for the August 21–23 event, which is being organised by the J&K Sports Council.

As per a statement issued, Farooq Ahmad Bhat from J&K has served as Race Official at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou, China, and coached the Indian team. J&K has already produced six international players, including two gold medallists, Zahoor Ahmad Latoo and Zain Ul Aabidin, at the IDBF World Championship in Thailand 2023.

J&K Dragon Boat Association President Mohammed Syed Punoo, IPS (Retd), and Vice President Aamir Ali expressed hope that the introduction of dragon boat events would inspire youth, nurture fresh talent and strengthen J&K’s presence in the sport. The Dragon Boat Sports event is a separate sport, and championships are being conducted under the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) globally.

The Dragon Boat Sports event has been inducted into the Asian Games and Asian Beach Games by the Olympic Council of Asia under the Asian Dragon Boat Federation, a continental federation of the International Dragon Boat Federation.

The dragon boat race is a fast and exciting flat-water human-powered watercraft sport which is performed on a long boat with a dragon face at the head. The boat accommodates 12 players, who paddle on the beat of a drum over predefined distances.