Photos: Taiwan's dragon boat races among few to be held this year

Teams compete during the Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei. Taiwan became one of the few places to hold a boat race, thanks to no local transmissions of the coronavirus being reported on the island in over two months.

The pandemic led to the cancellation of traditional dragon boat races in Hong Kong and of holiday activities in Beijing, which is battling a fresh outbreak.

In Taipei, around 80 teams gathered at the Dajia Riverside Park to compete under the scorching sun in the two-day race, which features boats festooned with decorative dragon imagery.

"You're not worrying about somebody on the side (giving) you COVID-19 because everywhere you go, they check your temperature," said Farrouck Ruiz, a 20-year-old Nicaraguan student who studies at Mingchuan University in Taipei and took part in the race.

The competitors did not wear masks during the races. They were given hand sanitisers and their hands and rows were sprayed with alcohol before they started rowing.

Although the race went ahead in Taipei, supporters were not allowed to attend.

"Our team has been training for a whole year just for this race," said Lydia Lee, who works in digital marketing. "But they do not allow supporters in, and we thought that takes out part of the fun."

Dragon boat crew members cheer

A boat leader reaches out to grab finish line flag

Visitors take pictures of the teams compete during the Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei, Taiwan, June 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Crew leaders prepare to grab finish line flags during the traditional Chinese dragon boat race in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, June 25, 2020. Dragon boat races are in remembrance of Chu Yuan, an ancient Chinese scholar-statesman, who drowned in 277 B.C. while denouncing government corruption. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Dragon boat crew members participate in a traditional Chinese Dragon Boat race in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, June 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)