In Penang, the first Dragon Boat Race was held way back in 1956 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Municipality of George Town and 10 years later the race was revived as part of the Pesta Pulau Pinang. In the upcoming Ist Club Crew Championship for the Commonwealth Countries scheduled to be held over 4 days from 22 nd to 25^th July at Teluk Bahang Dam is an exciting international event with confirmed entries that include Canada, Singapore, India, Trinidad & Tobago and Malaysia; and Non Commonwealth countries: Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, UAE and Chinese Taipei.

It is a significant celebration here and a few corporate sponsors from Malaysia including Pacific West has been contributing over the years in making the sport a major league event in Penang.

Historical background:

Dragon Boat Festival is a significant historical and culturaul celebration. It originated from the
story of a patriot, Qu Yuan who was a well-known poet during the Warring States of Chu more than 2000 years ago. In his incessant and desperate attempt to warn the emperor of a corrupt government,  he threw himself into the river as a final protest against the state of the government.

His sympathizers jumped into the water and beat with oars to find his body when they learned of his sacrifice. But their attempt failed. So they made rice dumplings wrapped in leaves which later came to be known as ‘ zong zi ‘ and threw them into the river in the hope that the fish would eat the dumplings instead of the poet’s body. Thus giving rise to the custom of eating dumplings on this occasion which is known as ‘ Tuan Wu Jie ‘ (端午节)

Outline of Programme

The programme is subject to final confirmation :

Come join us in cheering for Penang teams and celebrate the event that is sure to make waves in Penang !

See pictures below for past Dragon Boat Festivals held at the Teluk Bahang Dam.