Daugavpils holds “Dragon Boat” water sports festival just before the storm hit

On Saturday, August 22, the rowing base at Lake Lielais Stropu in Daugavpils hosted the 8th International Water Sports Festival “Dragon Boat”. The event brought together experienced athletes, amateurs, families with children, and company teams. Rainy and windy conditions forced organizers to shorten the schedule, but all planned races were still completed.

Disciplines and results

Participants competed in several disciplines: 100-meter races for SUP boards and KT-2 boats, and 200-meter races for K-2 kayaks and dragon boats. Notably, in the KT-2 OPEN category, children with special needs competed alongside assistants.

In the women's SUP race, Daniela Dzalbe took first place, followed by Renāta Timpere and Svetlana Ivanova. Among men, Aivis Tints won, with Mihails Golovko second and Leonīds Kleimjonovs third. In the KT-2 OPEN category, Daniils Kimbers took the top spot, ahead of Vjačeslavs Ivanovs and Vladislavs Jurāns.

In the K-2 OPEN race, the team “Matriarhāta upuri” came out on top, while “KingKongi” won the family category. Among amateur MIX dragon boat crews, DPNS “Neiroviļņi” prevailed, and in the PRO category “Dragon Pirate” took first place. In the children's “Dragon Kids” category, “Wrestling team” won, while the local “DINABURG” club claimed wins in several other dragon boat categories.

The festival also featured Chinese culture activities organized by the Chinese Cultural Center, “Taichi LV”, and Duojin Yin, giving both children and adults a chance to learn about Chinese traditions.

The event was organized by the association “Latgale Water Sports Center 'DINABURG'” together with the Daugavpils City Education, Youth and Sports Department, with support from the Latvian Canoe Federation. Organizers thanked the municipal police rescuers for ensuring the safety of participants and spectators, as well as the judges, volunteers and supporters.