"One, toh, trey! Ole, ole, ole!" cried the Myanmar boys. "Go, go, go! Ole, ole, ole!" roared the German lads. The atmosphere at Teluk Bahang was one of infectious excitement. It was Sunday, JUne 12, 2005 - the finals of the 26th Penang International Dragon Boat Race and the paddlers' excitement were building up into a fervour, big enough to rival any at Old Trafford.

The dragon boat race we see today is based on the legend of Qu Yuan. In the 4th Century B.C during the reign of the Chu Dynasty, there was a Minister by the name of Qu Yuan who strongly opposed the corrupt policies of his fellow officials. As a result, he was banished from the kingdom and in frustration threw himself into the river. The villagers, of course, immediately rushed to his rescue, setting out in dragon boats and throwing rice dumplings into the water to satiate the fish so that Qu Yuan's body would not be eaten.

Rice dumplings and dragons

And so, to commemorate the great event, Chinese people all over the world celebrate with rice dumplings and of course, the famous dragon boat races. The races started in Penang in 1934. It was a cultural affair brought in by the early Chinese migrants who settled in the coastal areas of Penang. You can still see their fishing communities (or what is left of them) at the Tay, Lee and Chew jetties. Their dragon boat customs, however, have flourished and evolved into an international sporting event now synonymous with the state of Penang.

The festival's popularity was evident in the recent dragon boat race at Teluk Bahang, which attracted 28 local teams and 15 foreign teams from seven countries. The boats may be less colourful and the dragon heads not as large, (due to standards set by the International Dragon Boat Federation), but that did not dampen the spirits at large.

While ancient boatmen set out in search of their leader, today's rowers' aim for the coveted Open Champion Title. Among the serious contenders were the Bangkok Dragons, Royal Indonesian National Team and Myanmar National Team. This year, the glory went to Indonesia who walked away with almost everything except the Mens' 12-Crew Open, which went to Myanmar.

On the other end of the competitive spectrum, were the corporate teams whose only goal was to have a good time. "We didn't win, but it was still a great experience," said Quek, from Skrine Dragons, a team of corporate lawyers from Kuala Lumpur. "I'll definitely come back again next year!" she exclaimed.

The teams

The scene at Teluk Bahang was somewhat carnival-like with paddling teams coming out in full force. There was no mistaking the Adelaide Survivors Abreast, a group of elderly breast cancer survivors in bright pink shirts and caps- and the enthusiasm to match. "Alrigght! We did it!" cheered one of the ladies, lifting up her oar victoriously and certainly not like a patient of any kind. The Adelaide ladies came out tops in their category.

The Royal Australian Navy were also in equally high spirits. But for them, the fun started even before the race. Walk by their tent and you'll hear them bellowing anthems at the top of their lungs. "These are mainly officers from the Navy, not the young recruits," said Executive Secretary, Chin Yin Fat. "They're just here for a good time." And it certainly seemed like a good time they were having judging from the commotion coming out from their tent. The Aussie guys were drinking and singing, all beneath the watchful eye of a giant stuffed kangaroo.

For some other teams, the race took on a more spiritual quality. The NUS team from Singapore made it a point to meditate before each race, simulating the motions of dipping and rowing and feeling at one with the spirit of the dragon boat. According to Chinese custom, the vessels must be given life by calling the spirits to enter them. "Sometimes the rowers 'feed' the dragons with lettuce, sugar cane and other offerings before the race," said Mr. Ong, a local Penangite who has been coming to watch the race for the past three years. "They believe it will make their boat go faster," he explained.

The race venue has moved a few times since it officially began in 1979. First, it was held at Gurney Drive, then Mengkuang Dam and now, Teluk Bahang Dam. Despite being a little further from town, Teluk Bahang still drew a considerable crowd. Corporate sponsors took advantage of the masses with booths set up by Pacific West, Maggie Mee and Nescafe. Families and kids enjoyed a kite-flying performance, dumpling-making demonstration and stalls serving all kinds of local delights.

The future of boat racing

Chin welcomes corporate sponsors to participate. Companies can either enter their own people or sponsor other teams to row for them. The organisers offer special accommodation packages for corporate teams and registration for the race is free. "It will definitely be bigger in the future," says Chin about the race. "We are going to bid for the 2008 World Championships to be held in Penang," he adds excitedly.

This year's World Championship (a bi-annual event) will be held in Berlin. If Penang wins the 2008 bid, Malaysia can expect to see at least 50 teams, times 30 rowers per boat, which comes up to 1500 participants. And that's not counting the hundreds of supporters, tourists and spectators the race will attract.

So where does Malaysia stand in the international scene? "Malaysia has no national team," says Chin. "Most of the Malaysian teams are from (amateur) clubs such as the Penang Forward Club or the Chinese Swimming Club." The race committee isn't really pushing for a national team either because then there could be issues about which state the race would belong to. Furthermore, dragon boat racing isn't an easy sport to develop as one team requires at least 30 people that's more than a football team.

At the moment, there does not seem to be any urgency to create a national team. The Olympic Council of Malaysia doesn't even recognise dragon boat racing as a sport. "(Worldwide) you need 80 countries to qualify as an Olympic sport," Chin says. "Dragon boat racing hasn't even reached 50."

But that has not stopped China from trying to get dragon boat racing into the Asian Games. Negotiations are currently underway for the sport to be included in the 2010 Asian Games in Guang Zhou.

It may be a while before the world recognises dragon boat racing as an official sporting event, but there is no denying the sport's growing influence. Like all sporting events, the Penang dragon boat race was not just a competition but a celebration of multi-culturalism. Stalls selling Paulanar beer and nasi lemak stood side-by-side. And cries of "Ole, Ole" filled the air as Malaysian teams chewed candy bars bearing the words "Herzliche Grube" (Best Wishes) - a gift from their German counterparts. The dragons may have originated from China but the people who rode them came from everywhere else.

Photos taken by Adrian Lim.