The Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) officially launched the second Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival on Friday at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Port Royal (formerly Morgan’s Harbour Hotel), against the backdrop of the glistening waters of Kingston Harbour. The festival is scheduled to take place next Saturday and Sunday at the same venue.
Vincent Chang, past president of the CBA and chairman of the CBA Dragon Boat Festival Committee, welcomed the launch of the second staging of the event. The inaugural festival attracted a large and appreciative audience that filled the viewing gallery and dock area last year.
“I am here because we at the Chinese Benevolent Association believe this is a festival that should be here in Jamaica forever because dragon boat racing has a lot of things that can help build the Jamaican community. It also helps strengthen Jamaica-China friendship, and that is what we’re all about,” Chang said.
Looking ahead to this year’s festival, Chang expressed confidence that it would build on the success of the inaugural event.
“This year should be exactly the same and more. I think we’ll have more teams and tighter races. Now that we’ve been doing this for a year, some of the teams have travelled abroad and gained a lot more experience. I do believe we’ll get more interest, and we’re hoping to attract even more support from the wider Jamaican community.”
He added:
“We should see some very spectacular racing. As you know, the dragon boats are decorated like the mythical dragon, complete with a head and tail, and teams of 10 paddle with strength, dexterity and, most importantly, coordination. So we should see some very exciting races.”
The event has received endorsements from the Chinese Embassy and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). Both organizations fielded teams in last year’s competition, with the JDF and CBA emerging as joint winners following a thrilling finish.
An increased number of teams will compete this year, including three overseas entrants from The Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago. The teams scheduled to participate are:
- Baha Mar Buoys and Gulls (The Bahamas)
- BCDS Buccaneers (The Bahamas)
- Vanguard Dragon Boat Club (Trinidad & Tobago)
- CBA A
- CBA B
- Chinese Embassy
- Hydra Jamaica
- McKay Security
- iPrint A
- iPrint B
- JDF Coast Guard
- Port Royal Blazers (Women’s Team)
- Port Royal Blazers
- The Generals 1
- The Generals 2
- LASCO
- AFRESH
- Confucius Institute
Local teams have been training since last year’s festival in preparation for the upcoming competition. However, they expect stiff competition from the overseas teams, which bring greater experience in the sport.
Joseph Miller, a member of the CBA team that shared the championship title with the JDF Coast Guard in 2025, was upbeat about his team’s chances of retaining the crown.
“You can expect more of the same. I believe we have a strong group of persons representing us. Some of them are Chinese, and it’s in their blood. The others, including myself, come from different backgrounds, but we are all sports people. We believe in sports, and we believe we can win because of our ability and the sports we do.”
Miller also encouraged the public to attend the event.
“Come and see us perform at the festival because we are sure to win. We know we are winners. We all believe in ourselves, and we have the best form out there. Look out for us. We’ll be at the front and everybody else will be behind.”
Neil Yap Sam, one of the conceptualizers of the festival and one of its coaches, spends several days each week conducting training sessions at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.
He encouraged Jamaicans to take up dragon boat racing, highlighting its fitness and health benefits.
“For your upper body, it’s a very good exercise. Even for breast cancer survivors, dragon boat racing has proven benefits. In Jamaica, we often think of running events when it comes to breast cancer awareness, but in other parts of the world, starting from places like New Zealand, dragon boat racing is widely used. Research has shown that it helps recovery because of the upper-body exercise involved. I would recommend it to anybody.”
The opening ceremony is scheduled for next Saturday morning and will feature the traditional “Dotting of the Eye” ceremony, a distinctly Chinese ritual performed before major activities. Racing heats will then get underway, with competition continuing on Sunday based on the teams’ performances on the opening day. The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
Several sponsors have come on board for this year’s event, including Grand Hotel Excelsior (venue sponsor), The Chinese Community of Jamaica, Lasco Distributors, Wisynco, NCB, ATL Automotive, National Bakery, Mayberry Investments, iPrint JA, East ROC, and Afresh Supermarket.
Dragon boat racing is a unique team sport that originated in Chinese villages more than 2,000 years ago. The sport requires paddlers to move in complete synchrony to the rhythm of a drum positioned at the bow of the boat. Today, dragon boat racing is an established international sport played in more than 75 countries worldwide.
