Photos: Dragon boat races return to Cambodia's water festival

Phnom Penh: Tens of thousands of spectators thronged the riverfront in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh Sunday for an annual dragon boat race - the centrepiece of the kingdom's three-day water festival, cancelled during the Covid pandemic.

Around 300 boats, their crews dressed in matching bright T-shirts, strained for the win as they dipped their colourful paddles into the Tonle Sap river with the royal palace behind them.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Manet, his father Hun Sen and senior government officials looked on as the yearly extravaganza began, with crowds urging the canoes over the final line.

The festival was last held in 2019, after which it was halted during the pandemic.

The festival marks the end of the rainy season when the Tonle Sap river, which joins the mighty Mekong River in front of the Royal Palace, reverses flow.

Participants row their dragon boat during a rehearsal for the Cambodian Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh.

Participants cheer from a dragon boat during a competition as part of the Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh.

Participants row dragon boats during a competition as part of the Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh.

Participants race dragon boats during a competition as part of the Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh.

A Cambodian man (L) prays as participants row their dragon boat during a rehearsal for the Cambodian Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh.