Crowds that turned out for the Dublin Hong Kong Dragon Boat Regatta in Dublin, Ireland on September 9 and 10 (Dublin time) and the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Antwerp, Belgium on September 16 (Antwerp time) were captivated by the skills of the new, talented professional rope skipping team from Hong Kong “S/L/A/S/H” whose members engaged with the public and showed them how to do the moves.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) brought the team of eight, called S/L/A/S/H, over from Hong Kong to add extra excitement and a novel attraction to the two dragon boat festivals, which have become firm favourites on the annual events calendars in Dublin and Antwerp.   

     The eight S/L/A/S/H’s performers (Mr Man Ka-koy, Mr Mok Wai-ho, Mr Cheung Pak-kan, Mr Lau Pan-hei, Mr Law Kwan-ho, Ms Cheuk Ching-yi, Ms Ho Yin-ting and Ms Chan Hiu-lam) are award-winners in various categories in Asian and World Rope Skipping Championships, and some having won World Champion titles. The team’s performance routine, which in addition to rope skipping includes power movements, gymnastics and dancing, entranced young and old alike.  

     In Dublin, Ireland, HKETO, Brussels was for the second time the title sponsor of the Hong Kong Dublin Dragon Boat Regatta, which took place over two days at the Grand Canal Dock. Co-organised by the Irish Dragon Boat Association and Plurabelle Paddlers and with the support of Waterways Ireland and Dublin City Council, it attracted around 960 participants and 48 teams and two to three thousand visitors each day.   

     In Belgium’s port city of Antwerp, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival organised by the Rotary International, Antwerpen West is one of the city’s biggest annual events, attracting 36 teams of competitors and around 7 000 enthusiastic spectators and participants.  The HKETO, Brussels, the title sponsor of the event, entered two boats in the races.  The crew of Hong Kong Dragon comprised HKETO, Brussels staff and their family members and friends, while the Hong Kong International Paddlers had a crew of expats and locals.  Belgium’s University of Leuven which with the support of the Belgium-Hong Kong Society and the University of Gent that joined the race for the first time also entered paddlers.

     Visitors could get booklets and information about Hong Kong, including its many tourist attractions, at the Hong Kong booth at the dragon boat festivals in Dublin and Antwerp. They could also win souvenirs specially produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by answering simple questions about Hong Kong. They could also send colourful postcards showing dragon boat events in Hong Kong to their friends and family.  

     In addition to the performances at the dragon boat festivals in Dublin and Antwerp, S/L/A/S/H also gave demonstrations, workshops and performances in various sports halls and academic institutions.

Ends/Monday, September 18, 2017
Issued at HKT 22:53

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