The 2015 Macau International Dragon Boat Races will be held on the 13^th, 14^th and 20^th June. The first phase of enrolment for the races has closed, with a record number of 154 teams set to join the races in different categories.

The Macau International Dragon Boat Races have been jointly organised by the Sport Development Board and Macau China Dragon Boat Association. While dragon boating is a widely popular festive activity in Macau during the Dragon Boat Festival, the Macau International Dragon Boat Races have grown to become an important sports event in the territory. Local competitions will be held this year on 13^th and 14^th June, while the Macau International Dragon Boat Races will be contested on 20^th June, both categories on Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre off the picturesque Praia Grande.

Year by year, the event has become larger in scale and attracts an increasing number of participants, and thousands of skilled athletes from home and abroad gather annually in Macau to participate in this significant event.

On 20^th June, the Macau International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race - Open Category 500m will be held (won in 2014 by the Galaxy Stars), as will the Macau International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race - Women's Category 500m (won in 2014 by Galaxy Pearl). Both China and Indonesia have picked up the honours in previous years.

In order to attract more top paddlers to Macau this year, the total prize money has been increased to US$36,000, with the top three winning teams of the Open and Women's categories receiving US$10,000, US$5,000 and US$3,000, respectively. The event is organised by the Macau Sport Development Board and the Macau, China Dragon Boat Association in collaboration with the Civic & Municipal Affairs Bureau and Civil Service Bureau.

For more details, please visit: www.sport.gov.mo/en/sites/dragonboat_sp/2015/id/264