Dragon Boat festival returns to South Okanagan

One of the largest dragon boat festivals in the province is making its grand return to Penticton’s Skaha Lake this weekend.

“There are 59 teams here today. We had one exhibition team, which is our Flying Dragons — our team made up of individuals with an intellectual disability,” said Don Mulhall, Penticton Dragon Boat Festival race director.

The two-day dragon boat festival brings thousands of athletes from across Canada to the South Okanagan to compete in the event that caps off this year’s season.

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Marcus Krieger has come with his team from Victoria, B.C.

Mulhall says that the sport is an easy one to get into, all you need to do is join a team and pick up a paddle.

“It’s a pretty good team sport,” said Mulhall. “I think it’s easy for anyone to get in a boat paddle and achieve some level of success right away.”

Day two of the competition starts at 8 in the morning and goes to the afternoon and all are welcome to come watch the competition.