The 10th edition of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, one of the largest of its kind in Belgium, took place at the beautiful Kattendijkdok in the City of Antwerp on 8 June 2024.
It was organised by Rotary Club Antwerpen West and Rotary Club Antwerp.International. It attracted around 6,000 enthusiastic paddlers and visitors. Over 20 dragon boat teams participated in a full day of racing, including a team from KU Leuven.
The KU Leuven team was proudly sponsored by the BHKS Education Fund to support cultural exchange between Hong Kong and Belgium. Here is a reflection shared by Suzanna Cuypers, a PhD student (Faculty of Engineering Technology) and captain of the KU Leuven team:
"The event is not just a competition. It’s first of all a team building exercise and a cultural exchange opportunity. Our diverse team had a common goal, which worked great for us as the most important aspects of dragon boat racing are team spirit and working in sync. The festival was big fun for everyone! We learned about Hong Kong culture and language at the Hong Kong booth, and meeting the amazing paddlers from Hong Kong was an incredible experience."
