The origins of the Dragon Boat go back to an ancient legend that over 2,000 years ago the great Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan (3rd century BC) threw himself into the Mi-Luo River as a form of protest against the oppression of the people by the central government. Upon hearing this news, fishermen decided to search for Qu Yuan's body with the help of large boats, trying to ward off the fish by energetically flapping their oars on the water. This is the legend, but scholars believe, however, that the origin of the Dragon Boat is to be found in southern China, particularly in the Chang Jiang region, around 500 BC, others claim that regulated and organised competitions were held during the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD) and the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD).
The Dragon Boat was initially born as an anniversary of that event and in the East it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon, i.e. in June. The evolution of the discipline began in 1976, when the HKTA (Hong Kong Tourist Association) transformed the popular tradition into a sport with international regulations.
Since that year, Dragon Boat has been recognised as a sport and has now spread all over the world, involving competitions on standard boats 12.40 metres long and 1.12 metres wide at most, with a dragon's head and tail at the bow and stern respectively.
These characteristic boats are propelled by 20 athletes, whose paddle strokes are punctuated by the rhythm of a 'drummer', while a helmsman at the stern steers the boat with an oar about 3 metres long.
