Read also: Jakarta’s Dragon Boat Festival returns early May

Organized by the Jakarta Paddle Club (JPC) and Klub Dayung Bahtera (Dayung Bahtera Club), the festival saw 42 participating teams composed of 800 paddlers, an increase compared to last year's 35 teams.

Dragon boat is a water sport that involves physical activity, entertainment and multicultural interaction. Each boat consists of 12 to 22 paddlers, including one drummer and one helmsperson.

The 250-meter race was open to men, women, students and community teams that competed for 18 trophies, 340 medals and total cash winnings of more than Rp 107.5 million (US$7,685).

Mermaid team was crowned as the winner of Community Women category, and JPC Women came in second place. Meanwhile, the SMA 15 Jakarta senior high school student team won first place in the Invitational Student category.

“The second Jakarta Dragon Boat Festival will help Indonesian athletes prepare for races in [other] events, such as the 2018 Asian Games in August,” said Baywalk Mall Pluit CEO Ellen Hidayat in a press release. “[…] In holding this dragon boat competition, the community can also have a better understanding about this type of exercise.”

The inaugural Jakarta Dragon Boat Festival was held in 2017 at the Bahtera Jaya sports center in East Ancol, North Jakarta. (wir/wng)

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