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Should the Dragon boat rowing team be made official representative of the Philippines 1

Running Head: Should the Dragon boat rowing team be made official representative of the

Philippines

Should the Dragon boat rowing team be made official representative of the Philippines

John Niclaus Buno

Communication Arts, Mba Apex, Ateneo De Davao University

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Introduction

Dragon boat racing has experienced a dramatic boom in popularity worldwide in recent

years. The number of people participating, including spectators, currently is estimated at an

amazing 50 million. There are even thoughts of making it an Olympic Games discipline.

Although a lot of information can be found in magazines, on the Internet or sometimes even on

television, but it doesnt appear to have a comprehensive book about the sport and its origins.

Hong Kong has played and continues to play the most important role in the modern development

of the sport, since it has reach its worldwide status, Philippines doesnt fall behind. We have

been actively organizing local races annually since its inception in the summer of 1995. There

had been grassroots training in the collegiate level and other private club teams rowing on every

early morning in manila bay and number of aspiring applicants on every team grow by the day.

There are many strong and competitive rowing clubs that trains hard every day and many of their

rowers are recruited for the national teams training pool. This is no surprise that we have the

very best in the world in Dragon boat rowing or traditional boat race. I myself as a proud

member of San Beda Dragon boat Rowing Team and have been able to experience my share of

local regattas and international races like the first Subic Bay International Dragon Boat

championship representing the collegiate category, held in the calm waters of Subic Bay

Freeport. Being an alumnus of San Beda gives me great honor on what Dragon boat rowing as a

sport had instill discipline and character in my life, now that the sport and the national team is

currently experiencing problems off the boat but greatly affects the very paddlers that provide

our country great honor and pride. By making this paper I hope to show the real score and issue

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of what is going on in the arena of sports politics and how the national paddlers row and fight

hard on every stroke on and off the boat.

Statement of the Problem

With the recent mandate of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) to the Philippine

Olympic Committee(POC) to only recognize a sport that is a member of the International

Olympic committee and should not give any monetary support through the Philippine Sports

Commission since the policy states that only official National Sports Association(NSA) that is a

member of the Philippine Olympic Committee will be given budget to their respective sports

program.(Philippine Olympic Committee: Position Paper, Dragon boat as a discipline of the

Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation, http://www.olympic.ph/pdf/DragonBoatPositionPaper.pdf)

The Philippine Dragon boat rowing team had been affected by this mandate and had been

training and competing without the recognition of the Philippine Olympic Committee. Despite

this burden it did not affect the performance of the national team and still went and win the

international dragon boat race held in Tampa bay Florida. This has been largely picked up by the

media as they were portrayed as unsung heroes. With little or no support on their international

dragon boat competition yet they still rise victorious. Now the dragon boat warriors and the sport

in general face the dark days, Should the dragon boat rowing team be made official

representatives of the Philippines?

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Should the Dragon boat rowing team be made official representative of the Philippines:

A Review of the Literature

Over the past generation from the traditional boat race in ancient china down to the

modern competitive dragon boat racing today, there has not been any comprehensive study on

the sport and its development. On this paper we shall discuss the effects on the local sport such

as dragon boat rowing from the policies and mandates of the International Olympic Committee

(IOC). We shall also follow the system of recognizing the National Sports Association

(NSA)(e.g. Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association for track and field; Philippine

Aquatic Sports Association, Inc. for swimming and other swimming related disciplines) in the

Philippines through the Philippine Olympic Committee(POC) and how the Philippine Sports

Commission(PSC) distributes budget from the government to the official NSA members of the

Philippine Olympic Committee.

Discussions

After the recent Tampa bay dragon boat championship, the media had been on the frenzy

on why the government lacks support and recognition on a performing team such as the

Philippine Dragon boat rowing team. There had been questions on why they are not recognized

officially as a national team in the Philippines and the technicalities of their status as a member

of National Olympic Committee. During an interview of Comm. Jose Luis Gomez by Howie

Severino on News to go. Comm. Jose Luis Gomez simplified on how to be qualified as a

national team in the Philippines, in order for a team to be considered a national team or National

http://www.olympic.ph/nsas/track.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/track.html

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Sports Association(NSA) they have to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The problem with the Philippine rowing team is that they are in the process of being accepted by

the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In a matter of years they will be and IOC member

and become a full pledge National Sports Association. As of now the Philippine Olympic

Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission cannot accept

them. . For a better

understanding of the issue let us take a look on the governing bodies in the Philippine sports

scene. The Philippine Olympic Committee is a private group composed of all of the heads of

National Sports Association(different sports being played in the Olympics) the POC is being

funded by private sectors and budget from the International Olympic Committee. The Philippine

Sports Commission is a government agency appointed by the president and its function is to

make sure that the funds from the government go to the right places. Those funds are only given

to sports that are recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee, which takes cue from the

International Olympic Committee. Which is currently the International Dragon Boat Federation

(IDBF) is still on the process of being recognized by the IOC. Comm. Jose Luis Gomez stated

that even before the IOC mandate the Philippine Sports Commission had given a total of 55

million pesos to dragon boat as a sport and for this year had funding for dragon boat that reach

5million pesos. This was not specified though if this was through the payroll of the national

rowing team or a fund to dragon boat as a sport. Comm. Gomez also stated that the Philippine

Sports Commission has a very limited budget and has to divide the funds to 52 different National

Sports Association (NSA). This is why the PSC invites private sectors to partner with NSA for

sponsorships and for their respective sports program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAM

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Right after the interview of Comm. Gomez, howie severino of news to go interviewed

Miss Judith Hakim a board of director of Philippine dragon boat federation (PDBF) she had

stated that they know that dragon boat rowing is not an Olympic sport but she had mentioned

that during the Asian beach games which is administered by the Olympic Council of Asia. The

Philippine dragon boat rowing team had contributed 3 medals out of the 8 medals of the

Philippine delegates. The rules used in the games was that of the International Dragon boat

Federation (IDBF) and is accredited by the Olympic Council of Asia. The current mandate of

the International Olympic Committee that the International dragon boat federation (IDBF) will

fall under international canoe kayak federation (ICKF) until its application for IOC be

recognized. The issue started from the international level as the International Dragon boat

Federation assert themselves their independence and want to become and IOC member. It

trickled down to the national level. That the Philippine dragon boat rowing federation does not

want to fall under the Philippine canoe kayak federation (PCKF) Miss Judith hakim strongly

objects that canoe, kayak would fall under the same discipline of dragon boat rowing. She added

that the two are totally different, after the IOC mandate she talks about the how they were kicked

out on their original training and mooring area in harbor square ccp and she thanked manila

ocean park for taking in the Philippine dragon boat federation for providing them their new

training and mooring area.< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxDv9zukL4 news to go

2011>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxDv9zukL4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxDv9zukL4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxDv9zukL4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxDv9zukL4

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Conclusions and Recommendations

It is difficult for us specially Filipinos to adapt on changes. All the more to the things that we are

already used to. But changes are inevitable and we have to take the positive side of it. I

understand that the Philippine dragon boat federation does not want to fall under the Philippine

canoe kayak federation because it is totally different sport. It could be that it will affect the

leaders of the PDBF with their free hand on doing things on their own and maybe their budget

could be limited as it already is. But we could take an example of the swimming and water polo

ofPhilippine Aquatic Sports Association, Inc. as both sports are under the same National Sports

Association but still operates independently with separate funding from Philippine Sports

Commission. If Philippine dragon boat federation goes under Philippine canoe kayak federation

the team will now be recognized as a national team with complete funding from Philippine

Sports Commission. But even with recognition from the POC as a national team. International

competition of the Philippine dragon boat rowing team would still have a limited funding

because there is little money on PSC. Comm. Gomez encourages private sectors for sponsorship.

And as far as being under the Philippine canoe kayak federation the Philippine dragon boat

federation can just be formal member and wait out for the accreditation of the International

dragon boat federation to be a full pledge member of the International Olympic committee and

finally have dragon boat rowing as an Olympic sport. Any maybe this would be our very first

gold medal on Olympics!

http://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.htmlhttp://www.olympic.ph/nsas/swimming.html

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References

The International Olympics Committee and the Olympic System: The governance of world sport

(2008) Jean-Loup Chappelet and Brenda Kubler-Mabbott: author

HONG KONG - MOTHER OF DRAGONS (2006) Publisher: CREATIVE DRAGON

WORKSHenning Wiekhorst: author

Awakening the Dragon: The Dragon Boat Festival (2004) Tundra Books; First Printing edition

Arlene Chan: Author

Philippine Olympic Committee (2011, 11 January); Dragon boat as a discipline of Canoe kayak

federation < http://www.olympic.ph/pdf/DragonBoatPositionPaper.pdf>

News to go interview; Philippine Sports Commission Comm. Jose Luis Gomez gmanews(Aug

10, 2011)< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAM >

News to go interview; Judith hakim pdbf board of director gmanews(Aug 10,

2011)

Gma news TV; Jessica soho with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ricardo Garcia and

Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco (Aug 14,

2011)

Philippine dragon boat federation official website (October 24)

http://www.olympic.ph/pdf/DragonBoatPositionPaper.pdfhttp://www.youtube.com/user/gmanewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAMhttp://www.youtube.com/user/gmanewshttp://www.youtube.com/user/gmanewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6L4C0oXAMhttp://www.youtube.com/user/gmanewshttp://www.olympic.ph/pdf/DragonBoatPositionPaper.pdf