Here's the link:http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=d5e71bbcd1268310VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=hong%20kong&s=news


An international event intended to showcase dragon boat racing's viability as an Olympic sport has been hit by allegations over the non-eligibility of some competitors.

The claims concern a leading local racing club that has added "ringers" to its squad at the last minute to improve its chances in the Club Crew World Championships which end today in Victoria Harbour.

A veteran member of the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club (HKIPC) alleges the team that the club entered into competition includes at least four crew who were not dues-paying members.

International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) rules require participants to have been paid-up members for at least six months and to have memberships in good standing at the time of the race. The informant, who requested to remain anonymous, said the new members only started training with the team a few months ago and one arrived in Hong Kong three weeks ago from Hawaii, where he lives.

"My club has not abided by the rules in the spirit of true and fair sportsmanship," the member said. "They have been cheating and have recruited non-HKIPC members to help them place or win races.

"These ringers have already helped the team get second place in the mixed A category and third in the senior mixed crew category. It's just totally unfair."

The informant provided documents that appear to confirm that four crew had not been paid-up club members for the required period.

Mike Haslam, executive vice-president of the IDBF, however, said that the local club had provided all the relevant proof that their team members were eligible and had complied with the rules.

HKIPC treasurer Stephen Staunton also rejected the allegations. "Everyone competing for our club is a paid-up member and eligible," he said.

But the informant said other members are also concerned about the club's tactics.

"It's such an arrogant attitude," the member said. "Other club members know about it but are afraid to speak up. This win-at-all-costs mentality is ruining our club."

As well as displaying Hong Kong's central role in dragon boat racing, the week-long event also aims to show the sport has broad enough appeal for inclusion in the Olympics.

Hilarious. Like there aren't dozens of other teams at every CCWC's who bring in non-club members to complete their rosters since it's not easy to get 22 people to commit to a big trip? But it is pretty lame for a local Hong Kong team to do it.

The future of the sport is 10 man.

CCWC competitions are not really that important when it comes to the IDBF's Olympic membership petition.

Agree. CCWC is amateur hour compared to the Nations World Championship where you get the best of the best.

Australian clubs are the only ones that are actual clubs and not super clubs / merged clubs like the candians, and not national teams
Like the Chinese.

The Aussies really have a burr up their a$$. You guys are really making yourselves look bad. Poor sports!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!! Wah, Wah, Wah!!

Australian clubs are the only ones that are actual clubs and not super clubs / merged clubs like the candians, and not national teams
Like the Chinese.


As a Montrealers, there are no such thing as MERGED clubs. So your assumption is wrong. And why would you say Chinese are national team. Cause they beat you? JiuJiang are people from Foshan district at best. Would you say paddlers at Beijing would travel to JiuJiang and train for CCWC?

Once again, your assumption is completely invalid.

Only wussies use 10 person boats, not the sport at all. Junk

Yes, The power and the glory are twenty man boats!

Anyone an insider on the club scene in DB in China? Do they have a lot of teams in each region like how Canada is with the large amount of teams coming from Ontario? Or is it just one dominant club in each area with most of the good paddlers on one club like say, Philly?

sounds like the Warriors. Check their qualifing list against the one that raced. They did not meet the DBC standard.
I could care less, as the above poster stated it is hard to get 22 people to make a big trip. Just another example where DBC is f*ed up.

Do you have some proof, detective? If yes, please provide it with your allegations. If no, STFU.

Looks like the Warriors just cant shake it. Even when they lose.

It sounds like someone didnt get a seat in the boat to me.

Does anyone know the club that is accused to have cheated?

As stated in POST NUMBER 1:

Hong Kong Island Paddle Club (HKIPC)

^ I guess it can be true.

Their time is around Verdun/Slipstream

I'm a paddler for Hong Kong Island Paddle Club, and I've paddled with our crew for years - I know them all as friends as well as paddlers. The most recent members joined in January when we asked some of our outrigger pals who don't generally dragon boat to join us especially for CCWC. These newer members were not just here for CCWC - they are still at the club and will be racing OC6 with us in Kona (Hawaii) in September. If you come down to our club on any morning you will see all the guys out in OC6s, OC1s or surf skis. We desperately want to keep this crew together and training for Italy 2014, so we can give you top crews a run for your money!!!

Since December, we've had a new and much more competitive coach who has transformed the training (I've been on the water 6 mornings a week and doing circuit training 3 days a week just to keep my sorry *** in the boat!) It's a shame that some women in the club didn't get the automatic seat in the boat that they thought they deserved, and were used to having. We knew there was tension, but this was CCWC and we wanted to field a strong crew, not just give everyone a race. I had no idea that they would go as far as they did though. IDBF were very good about everything - we showed them our membership details and they saw that tings were in order. They recognised that the 'informants' were probably disgruntled paddlers who didn't get picked, and they said this often happens.

On a lighter note, if any of you are ever in HK and fancy a paddle, do contact us. Something happening on the water most mornings. www.hkipc.com . But give us a few days to recover from last weekend!

You guys have always been great hosts and excellent but friendly rivals. Hard strokes on the water, cold beer on the shore.

Sorry to hear about you getting caught up some unnecessary drama.

As suggested above, I checked the Warrior's list from last summer's qualifying and compared it with this year's roster. 4 new members, all who joined before Jan 1.

What is the violation of DBC's standards?

Thank you HKPIC, Verdun pretty much did the same. Added a few members before Jan1.

I can pretty say the same for NDRC and Slipstream (Well they did it way before)

What should be more in question is how HK were allowed to race in the first 2km mixed heat, instead of the second - which gave them a nice silver medal.

(from HKIPC again)

No idea on how we got to be in the first heat for the 2000m. Hadn't actually thought about it making a differnece until you brought it up here, but I guess it might have done. Actually, we didn't even stack this crew - about 6 of our top paddlers were watching on as we wanted to give some of the B-boys a go. We do a lot of long distance outrigger canoeing, which may account for the performance. (Or may be our B-boys are a lot stronger than I thought!). But we were all very surprised that the boys got silver.

Also want to apologize on behalf of HK for the venue. Even we were disappointed that some of our results were affected by the strong currents in the harbor (especially our premier mixed 500m final). For those of you that traveled half way round the world to compete, it must have been very tough to accept. Our steersman (a local Chinese guy who has steered for years in HK) kept motioning circle gestures to show that there were strong currents out there. I think they are created because the organisers leave a small gap between the protective line of tug boats at one side of the course at the finish line. This allows water to flow in/out down one side of the course depending on what the tide is doing, and can make the middle lanes very bumpy.

HKIPC, congratulation you were on stream. I saw there circles.

Anyway. Random question. Are you guys all HK citizens? Or I just see more white people than Chinese. (Sorry if this offends you)

Whoever disputed the fact these Chinese clubs are the national team, are clearly not national level athletes. Windsor was the Chinese crew (men's and women's) In Florida last year for world champs. Anyone who was there will tell you that. Anyone who went to Macau will also have good
Memory of one or two clubs being 'informally' reprimanded by Dbc and iDbf for inviting paddlers to join their clubs to help them have enough numbers for ccwc.

(from HKIPC)

No offense taken. We're mostly a 'Gweilo' crew (local term for foreigners). Most of us are expats or permanent residents living and working in HK. I've been here 19 years (originally from UK - came to teach for a year and never left!) and some longer than me. Some are here on expat contracts - bankers, head-hunters, architects etc.

We're basically the only non-fisherman's team in HK that can compete with the best local fisherman teams such as Ho Fu Jai and South Eagle. Most other expat crews are more into social paddling (as anyone that has been to the massive Stanley Dragon Boat races can testify).

We do have a few local Chinese, but our technique is very different from the fisherman (the lighter Chinese guys have an insane stroke rate that doesn't work for us). Our chairman, Lister Woo (Chinese) manages to get us into the fisherman's events and even teaming up with fisherman's teams to paddle 50-man boats, so we are very well known in the Chinese Dragon Boat community.

wow, that is cool.
Is the weather always so nice in HK, I saw some of the photo's, great scenery. Seemed like the air was strangley crystal clear. Must be the sea air.