DB Diary

You may have heard the news last week the Brisbane is the frontrunner to host the 2032 Olympics, which got me thinking... what must dragon boating do to become an Olympic sport? What does the International Olympic Committee look for when deciding whether a sport reaches that level?

Dr Ian Jobling, Honourary Director of The University of Queensland Centre for Olympic Studies, is here to explain.

This week's brief featuring special guests...

Australia's national Head Coach David Abel outlines his vision for getting the Auroras back on its feet after the disruptions of the past year

Riza Ornos from Iloilo Paddlers Club in the Philippines shares her club's quest to buy a dragon boat while making ends meet with a bamboo raft

Your weekly brief is good to go. On today's show:

- We catch up with AusDBF to unpack the latest proposed changes to State v State tournament at the Australian Nationals

- Touch base with AusDBF's latest paddler to be awarded a life membership

- Hear from the Dubai Diggers' founder who is back in Brisbane and helping young paddlers

- And to wrap it up, the latest from Dragon Boat Canada's President on the launch of a virutal U24 paddling erg contest

Last week, 60 paddlers battled it out to be crowned the paddle erg Apex Predator at Afterburn Fitness in Toronto. The competition served as more than just a competition, but a crucial way of unifying the DB community and helping teams build spirit before they get back on the water after winter. I caught up with the brains behind the event, Andrew Liew.

Being in Brisbane, it's easy to be sheltered from the reality and consequences of the disaster (we are ever so lucky). This entry gives a sense of the threat facing clubs in Victoria's East Gippsland region and ways your club can help the bushfire appeal securely, out of reach of scammers and organisations that could misuse your hard-earned charity.

Christmas 2019 capped off a dream-like run for the families of Peter Christen and Alex Evans, with the news they'd made the 2020 edition of the Guinness World Records for the world's longest dragon boat journey. The accolades shine bright, but the cause they did it for is even more remarkable. Boating for Brains ain't just a catchy name... it stands for a mission to make better futures for kids suffering from epilepsy, and avoid what Alex's and Peter's children had to go through.

Zee from Melbourne is one driven paddler who's put so much energy into the sport on and off the water. What really interested me about him was his hand in starting what is one of Australia's only current university clubs. Can you believe that? I couldn't. This episode, Zee opens up about that experience.

When Luna isn't sleeping she's thinking about paddling. When she journeys overseas she's looking for that next team to train with. Today, she's our eyes and ears on the ground in Toronto, taking us behind the scenes of the Water Vipers state-of-the-art indoor training facility.