Dragon Boat Racing in Egypt: Chinese sport gaining popularity among young Egyptians

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In Egypt, a new sport is taking over the Nile. Recently introduced in the North African country, the Chinese Dragon Boat racing has been growing in popularity, attracting more young Egyptians. Adel El Mahrouky goes along for a boat ride in River Nile.

In weekends, many look forward to breaking their work schedule and waking up late. But not for these paddlers, shortly after the sun rises, they head to Egypt's river Nile preparing themselves for a breathtaking experience. It's time for their Dragon boat training. The Chinese sport has been recently adopted by the Egyptian Canoeing Federation, which has been a platform for it to spread.

IHAB KAMEL, MEMBER EGYPTIAN CANOE AND KAYAK FEDERATION "The dragon boat has started spreading among young people only about four years ago and surprisingly we had found that it became very popular among the amateurs."

Dragon boat focuses on synchronized team paddling. Unlike other water sports, paddlers are guided by the beats of a drum. Infused by Cairo's magnificent landscape on the Nile, it gives athletes a unique pleasure.

GHADA MOGHDY DRAGON BOAT PADDLER "That's the novelty about the sport, that it has everything. We've won a couple of competitions, first place. So it gives you the competition, it gives you the fitness, it gives you the team spirit? And you really come out of it, feeling much better and totally relaxed."

Up to 12 paddlers can fit in the dragon boat, which makes teamwork in the sport exemplary. It mainly depends core muscles, lifting much of the pressure classic rowing puts on the knees. Because it's still a young sport, dragon boats' expansion in Egypt is quite challenging. There isn't yet the experience or the capacity to manufacture the boat or its accessories domestically.

ABEER ALI DRAGON BOAT COMMITTEE HEAD "We are working on making it popular through introducing it to other clubs and other academies as well as other people. Once you have like 3 or 4 or 5 clubs have this boat, so the races become more aggressive. So people will like it more."

The Egyptian federation markets it as an easily absorbed sport. I took on the challenge, and after receiving few instructions, it wasn't difficult to keep up with the rest of the team. From the ancient Chinese culture to the inspiring river for the Pharaohs, Dragon boats here add another dimension to sports than physical fitness. Adel EL Mahrouky, CGTN, CA.