The first National Fitness Championship (South China Region) Dragon Boat Race and the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen-Bao'an) Maozhou River Dragon Boat Race were held on May 25th-26th. Thirty-seven dragon boat teams from the GBA gathered at Maozhou River, engaging in spectacular dragon boat races.

In preparation for the dragon boat race, Panyu District of Guangzhou established a special inclusive dragon boat team. The team consists of 10 able-bodied individuals who are passionate about dragon boat sports and committed to supporting the cause of disabled people, along with 6 disabled individuals who have a strong enthusiasm for participating in sports. The disabled athletes hail from the Shilou Town Kangyuan Worker Therapy Demonstration Station in Panyu District. A professional coaching team developed a scientific training plan for them.

On the race day, several special dragon boat teams from the Greater Bay Area, accompanied by the pounding drums and cheers of the audience, swiftly paddled through the waters. After intense competition, the team from Panyu District of Guangzhou emerged victorious, winning first place in the care group.

This hard-earned championship marks a significant achievement. Zhao Wei, the leader of the team, mentioned that some team members have mental disabilities, which posed communication challenges during training. "Participating in the competition and winning the championship greatly benefit their personal growth as athletes, and also encourage more people with intellectual disabilities to step out and engage in sports."

At the Shilou Town Kangyuan Worker Therapy Demonstration Station in Panyu District, He Qirong, a disabled member of the team, had just finished a day of handicraft work. This was He Qirong's first time participating in the dragon boat race. Initially, he didn't even know how to hold a paddle. Three days into the training, he considered quitting due to the strenuous effort. However, with the encouragement of his teammates and the patient guidance of the coaches, he persevered and eventually developed a fondness for the sport.

This was also the first time that Chen Haozhong, president of the Shilou Town Dragon Boat Association, served as a coach for disabled dragon boat athletes. Having dedicated nearly 20 years to dragon boating and engaged in numerous professional dragon boat events both in and out of China, he still faced challenges in coaching athletes with varying levels of ability. For the disabled athletes, basic dragon boat movements - starting, paddling, stroking, recovering, and resetting - and coordinating with teammates were not easy. It took them more than ten days to master these basics and get into the rhythm of training.

More important than teaching the dragon boat movements was ensuring the safety of the disabled athletes during training and competition. "We adopted a method where two able-bodied athletes paired with one disabled athlete, and tailored training plans for them. To build physical strength, each person did 20 push-ups daily. The process requires extreme patience because we need to provide gradual guidance and make corrections step by step."

After this competition, what struck Chen Haozhong the most was the increased willpower of the disabled athletes. They no longer gave up easily and were more persistent in their efforts. This spirit will inspire others at the Kangyuan Worker Therapy Demonstration Station, continuing the story of courage and dream-pursuing.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

广州这支特殊龙舟队勇夺关爱组冠军

第一届全国全民健身大赛（华南区）龙舟比赛暨2024年粤港澳大湾区（深圳·宝安）茅洲河龙舟赛于5月25日至26日举行，来自大湾区37支龙舟队伍齐聚茅洲河，合力上演赛龙舟的精彩场面。

为备战龙舟赛，广州市番禺区组建了一支残健共融的特殊龙舟队。队伍由10名喜爱龙舟体育运动、热心残疾人事业的健全人士和6名热爱参与体育运动的残疾人士组成。残疾人士来自番禺区石楼镇康园工疗示范站，专业的教练团队为他们制定了科学的训练计划。

比赛当天，来自大湾区的数支特殊龙舟队伴着激昂的鼓点和观众的呐喊助威声，快速划动手中的船桨，劈波斩浪。经过激烈的角逐，广州市番禺区特殊龙舟队最终勇夺关爱组第一名。

这是一个来之不易的冠军。广州市番禺区特殊龙舟队领队赵伟说，队里有精神障碍的运动员，在沟通上存在一些困难，会给训练带来一定难度。“能参加比赛并拿下冠军，对这些运动员的成长有非常大的帮助，还能鼓励更多智力障碍的人走出家门，参加到运动中来。”

在番禺区石楼镇康园工疗示范站，特殊龙舟队的残疾人队员何启荣刚结束一天的手工工作。这是何启荣第一次参加划龙舟，刚参加训练，他连船桡都不会拿。三天后，他就因为训练辛苦打起了“退堂鼓”，不过，在队友的鼓励和教练的耐心指导下，他最终坚持了下来，并喜欢上这项运动。

这也是石楼镇龙舟协会会长陈浩忠第一次担任残疾人龙舟运动员的教练。他有着近20年划龙舟经历，曾多次参加过国内外的专业龙舟赛事，但在指挥水平不一的残疾人划龙舟时也犯了难。起势、出桨、划桨、收势、复位，完成这样的基本划龙舟动作，并与队友保持协调配合，对于残疾人运动员们并非易事，他们花了十多天才完成，正式进入训练节奏。

比教导划龙舟动作更重要的，是保证残疾人运动员在训练和比赛中的安全问题。“我们采用两个健全运动员带一个残疾人运动员的方法，为他们量身定制训练计划，为了锻炼体力，每人每天做20个俯卧撑。整个过程需要极大的耐心，一点点地引导纠正。”

经过这次比赛，陈浩忠感受最深的，是残疾人运动员的意志力变得更强，平时不会轻言放弃了，做事更能坚持下去。他们的这种精神将感染康园工疗示范站的其他人，把勇敢追梦的故事延续下去。

文丨记者 徐振天
图丨受访者提供
翻译丨刘佳慧