Annual dragon boats races delight fans and families at Berlin CityCup (with photo)

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin) sponsored the annual Berlin CityCup dragon boat races held on September 9 and 10 (Berlin time) at the Olympic Regatta Course in Berlin-Grünau, Germany.
 
     More than 70 teams from all over Germany competed in different race categories. Sports fans and families enjoyed the annual dragon boat-themed tug of war, as well as culinary highlights, alongside the thrilling competition on the water.
 
     At the award ceremony on September 9, the acting Director of HKETO Berlin, Ms Bonnie Ka, congratulated the athletes for their outstanding performance and presented trophies to the winning teams. HKETO Berlin also hosted a booth to promote Hong Kong to visitors and athletes.
 
     "Dragon boat racing has a long history, which could date back to over 2 000 years in China. However, it was not until 1976 that Hong Kong started revitalising it as a modern international sport and promoting it worldwide. That year, the Hong Kong Government staged the first Hong Kong International Races, an event recognised today as the start of the 'modern era' of dragon boat racing as a sport," Ms Ka said.
 
     HKETO Berlin also sponsored this year's dragon boat races of the Züri Fäscht (Zurich Festival), Switzerland's biggest public festival, which took place from July 7 to 9 in Zurich. For details on the upcoming events of HKETO Berlin, please visit www.hketoberlin.gov.hk/en/events.
 
About HKETO Berlin
 
     HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.