6 May 2012, Singapore – Held over three days from Friday till today in the waters of Marina Bay in partnership with the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA), the inaugural DBS Marina Regatta is the first international dragon boat competition since 2000. There were close to 100 international and local teams, including top national teams from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore paddling it out for the biggest prize monies in an international dragon boat race, totaling S$178,000.
”As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS believes in the importance of Asian culture. We are excited to be playing a key role in spurring the international development of a quintessentially pan-Asian sport like dragon boating and increasing the spectator appeal of the sport. With the success of the inaugural regatta, we are confident that the regatta will help to raise the profile of dragon boating in Singapore and in Asia. We are excited about the growth potential of the sport and look forward to growing with the sport as we grow in the region,” said Sim S. Lim, Country Manager for Singapore, DBS.
“The DBS Marina Regatta will bring more life and excitement to the Marina Bay, the doorstep of DBS new home at the Marina Bay Financial Centre,” added Lim. Over 6,000 DBS staff and family members were also at the regatta to celebrate DBS’ family day.
There were seven race categories comprising 200m and 500m races in each category. The 200m races took place on 5 May while the 500m races took place today. Touted as the largest water sports festival in Singapore, the regatta also featured a family carnival at the Promontory @ Marina Bay with dragon-boat themed games, food and live performances.
There was an Instagram open competition for spectators to upload the photos of the Regatta on Instagram and tag them #DBSMarinaRegatta and three Instagramers with the most voted photos could win prizes worth up to S$900.
I was at the Regatta yesterday afternoon and witnessed the Indonesian team in action. Their speed and team precision was amazing so much so there was a lot of chatter of amazement of the team on ground. It was no surprise that the Indonesia National Team emerged top in three categories: DBS Premier Open, DBS Premier Women and DBS Premier Mixed.
At the prize giving ceremony tonight, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong graced the event. Together with DBS Chairman Peter Seah, Prime Minister Lee presented the prizes to the winning team from Indonesia while DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta also addressed the crowd.
Check out photos from the DBS Marina Regatta 2012 on our Facebook Fan Page.
Related articles
Pingback: Lost Poems Photo Contest by ibis Singapore Novena | SUPERADRIANME
Pingback: [Review] Twelfth Night - Shakespeare In The Park | SUPERADRIANME
Pingback: Mothers' Day Special - Daniel C - A Model's Love For His Mum | SUPERADRIANME