11 August 2005 – Ambassador Minerva Jean A. Falcon of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Germany, reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the 25-member Philippine National Dragon Boat Team won the bronze medal in the World Men’s Premier Open 200-Meters category at the 7th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships held in Berlin on 3 – 7 August 2005.   (Please refer to the separate photo release on this subject.)

Ambassador Falcon said that dragon boat racing has developed over the past twenty years at a staggering pace around the world, including Germany, the host country for this year’s championship.  The sport – under the governance of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) as its World Governing Body – has enthusiast in nearly 60 countries or territories worldwide, and four million people participate in the sport in China alone, the traditional and cultural home of dragon boat racing.

In this year’s competition in Berlin, nearly 3,000 participants from 20 nations competed over the four days of racing for World Championship Medals as well as for Medals in the European Club Crew Championships.

Aside from the Premier 200-Meters, other categories are the Premier 500-Meters and Premier 1000-Meters.
 
The World Dragon Boat Racing Championships are held every two years. The venue of the next championships will be held in Sydney in 2007.  END