Source: CCTV.com

03-05-2009 13:26

Dragon boat racing originated in China over 2000 years ago, but until now, there's never been a national team. All that is being changed now in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong, where the best dragon crews in China are being put to the test both on and off the waters for a chance to represent their country at the next international dragon boat racing competition. But choosing who gets to make the team is not that simple...

Jennifer HSung from Sports Scene said, "More than 300 athletes will take part in the selection....How to choose the best of the best?"

Xu Jusehng, Official of International Dragon Boat Federation, said, "We observe the racers' techniques and strategies during the races on water. It's important for us to see just how competitive they are. Secondly, we test their physical strength. After the teams finish racing, selected racers will each be put through seven individual tests. From this, we tally up their overall score and choose the most outstanding ones to be on the National team."

The teams competed on water first. Those that finished in first and second place automatically advance to the individual testing stage. The rest of the teams can each recommended up to six of their best racers for individual testing. A total of 64 racers, half of them men and half of them women, will be chosen to take part in an intensive training program for the national team and then further cuts will be made. One interesting fact is that all the teams competing here are from Guangdong province.

Wei Wei, International Umpire of Dragon Boat Federation, said, "This is because over the past few years, it's these same teams from Guangdong that have represented China at many international competitions, and they achieved some pretty good results. It also boils down to a budgeting issue, so we only selected teams from Guangdong because they are closer to Zhaoqing city."

Another thing is that most of the athletes are farmers. It's said internationally that China only use farmers to take part in dragon boat racing competitions.

Xu also said, "We have chosen a lot of rural farmers to take part in international competitions because dragon boat racing is such a popular sport among rural farmers in China, especially in Guangdong. From village to county to city, dragon boat racing is just so popular."

So,what key factors make the difference for the athletes trying to grab the final spots on the National team?

Wei Wei told us that the dragon boat itself was only so big. If a racer is too big, they wouldn't be capable of performing well. Age was also key. The best age was 25 years old or so.

The selection process for China's first-ever national dragon boat team doesn't just end here. Another selection will be held in April to choose the best from the 64 racers picked this time around.

 

Editor:Zheng Limin