THE Philippine Accessible Disability Services Inc. (Pads) will hold its first dragon boat competition as part of a fund-raising activity for the Pads Dragon Boat Team’s campaign in the upcoming Dragon Boat World Championships.

The event, dubbed as the 2019 Cebu City Dragonboat Regatta, is open to all paddlers and will take place at the Bayfront Il Corso Mall, South Road Properties in Cebu City on May 4 to 5.

“This will also serve as our fund-raising activity for the program of the team. We hope to find the support for the budget needs for the team when we compete in the World Championships,” Pads executive director JP Maunes told SunStar Cebu.

Maunes said that the team is looking to buy additional equipment like carbon fiber paddle and additional dragonboats as they prepare for the team’s biggest competition since its humble beginnings in 2016.

The Cebu-based Pads has been endorsed by the Philippine Dragonboat Federation (PDBF) to represent Team Philippines in the ParaDragon Division of the World Championships on Aug. 20 to 2016 in Pattaya, Thailand.

It’s the first time that the World Championship added the ParaDragon division for disabled athletes.

Maunes said 10 teams outside of Cebu have confirmed their participation in the 2019 Cebu City Dragonboat Regatta, including a team from Singapore.

The visiting teams are Umago, Yellow Fins, SJ Banatti, Brave Heart-Cagayan De Oro City, Bugsay Marajao, Kujaw Tiger Dragons, Boracay All-Star and AMPPHI Davao.

“The Army Dragons and Filipinos Dragons Singapore are also joining. This is on top of the local teams here,” said Maunes.

The event will feature 200-meter premier open small boat, premier mixed small boat, premier women small boat, inter-city paradragon championship small boat, youth mixed small boat, youth open small boat and youth women small boat categories.

The champions in the premier open small boat, premier women, premier mixed will win P20,000 as cash prize, while the second placers get P15,000 and the third placers get P10,000.

The champion in the ParaDragon division will also get a P20,000 cash prize. (RSC)