Dragon Boating showcases Lankan resilience amidst terror attacks
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Prithi Perera
A Dragon Boat Racing training camp was held at the Diyawanna Oya Water Sporting Complex, from May 18, with an Indian Coach and enthusiastic participants. It was organised by the National Association for Canoeing and Kayaking, Sri Lanka (NACKSL), in collaboration with the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, and was co-sponsored by Esquel Sri Lanka (SL) Ltd, a Hong Kong Chinese owned Garment exporting Company based in Sri Lanka.
The training was conducted by Ravinder Kumar Singh, a Level 1 Canoe/Kayak Coach for the State of Haryana in India. He is also the the Indian National Coach for Dragon Boating. The training camp also benefited 26 selected employees from Esquel SL Ltd, who are expected to take part in an Inter-Company Dragon Boating competition to be held in Goamin, China, on May 26.
All in all, there was a total of 70 participants, comprising paddlers from the SL Army, the SL Navy and the Special Task Force (STF) of the SL Police, together with the trainees from Esquel SL Ltd.
Although training commenced on May 18, there was a disruption in the training for two days, following the bombings that took place on April 21. Despite the initial shock and setback, it was the determination of the coach and the participants to not give into terror, that saw the successful completion of the programme on May 18. It was generally felt that the training helped overcome the shock and depression that had overtaken the country in general and the trainees in particular, who were able to showcase the strength and resilience of the Sri Lankan spirit.
The training programme culminated with some Dragon Boating competitions on May 18, where the 2000m and 500m events were won by the SL Army, with the SL Navy and the STF teams finishing second and third respectively. The positions were reversed in the shorter sprint of 200m where the SL Navy emerged winners, with the SL Army and STF finishing second and third respectively. The timings of the STF were competitive, being the very first time they had taken part in the Dragon Boating discipline.
Indian coach Ravinder Kumar Singh briefing the local athletes
NACKSL President Rohan Prithiviraj Perera was most pleased with the progress shown in the Dragon Boat discipline, which is ideally suited for team building and leadership training exercises. Very soon six more Dragon Boats will be added to the existing fleet, making a total of eight Dragon Boats for training and competitions in Sri Lanka, which will enable to popularise the sport in other parts of the country, and also encourage holding Dragon Boat Festivals and competitions that could contribute to Sports Tourism in the country. NACKSL also hopes to popularise the sport among schools, universities and the corporate sector, for team building and leadership training programmes.
“We wish the Esquel SL Team the very best in their Inter-Company Championships to be held in Goamin, China on May 26, and look forward to their success, despite the very short period of training they have had. There should be regular training to enable Sri Lanka succeed at international levels, where the sport is now practised in nearly 100 countries, and Asian and World Championships held in different parts of the globe. It should not be long before Sri Lanka could be in a position to host an international championship,” said Mr Perera.