Taipei City Government

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je attended the Taipei International Dragon Boat Championship on June 7 and welcomed 6,000 top international athletes from 218 teams hailing from the Gold Coast in Australia, Ulan Ude in Russia, Quezon City in the Philippines, Matsuyama City in Japan, and Chongming District in Shanghai, all competing for the top honor.

With 218 teams competing this year, the ferocity of the competition will be absolutely incredible, and each team has a monumental challenge to make it to the next round the following day.

There are also 80 festival booths available for visitors to enjoy some shopping. The most distinguished dragon boat master craftsman in Taiwan, Mr. Liu Ching-cheng, will also be displaying a traditional dragon boat for everyone to take photos and check in on Facebook. At the same time, Taipei Cultural & Creative Industry Exchange Association will also be inviting 5 renowned illustrators to create a massive Easter egg exhibit with Bravo, and everyone is welcome to attend the event. All in all, the public can come to the Dajia Riverside Park to watch dragon boat races and enjoy shopping at the festival booths.

During the press interview, when Mayor Ko was asked to comment on this year’s Taipei International Dragon Boat Championship, he replied that approximately 50,000 people attended the annual event in the past, with nearly 6,000 contestants from 218 teams competing against each other this year; and winning the race will be a tall order, as there are simply too many competitors.

When asked why he did not partake in the race this year, Ko replied facetiously that he still feels bitter for being tricked into rowing the boat for 5km last year. So why did he run into the venue just now? He was afraid of being late because he loathes tardiness.