The Dubai Diggers have added another international title to their name, winning the open category at the Shangri-La Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships in Hong Kong, with three Filipino paddlers among the victorious crew.
The UAE-based club took top honours over the championship’s 270-metre course at Stanley Main Beach on June 19, prevailing in a field that organisers said drew more than 180 teams and thousands of athletes to one of the most prominent dragon boat events in the world.
Among the crew that powered the win were three Filipinos: Mark Anthony Garcia, a freelance personal trainer; Joselino “Joel” De Jesus, an inventory controller in the automotive sector; and Charmaine Esteban, a fashion buyer. The three balance demanding day jobs in Dubai with the early-morning training on the water that competitive dragon boat racing demands — the same discipline that carried the crew through Stanley’s tight, fast-turnaround heats.
The result extends a long record of success for the Diggers, who were founded in 2008 and rank among the UAE’s most decorated dragon boat teams. The club has won six gold medals across world championship events and claimed one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the 2022 Club Crew World Championships. Its roster reflects the diversity of the emirate, drawing members from 18 countries including the Philippines, Australia, England, Germany, Serbia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, and Scotland, and the crew regularly trains in the waters off Dubai. Dubai developer Nakheel announced its sponsorship of the team in late 2023.
The win was guided by the team’s coaching staff, Ismail “Izzy” Smit of South Africa and Milos Pesic of Serbia, with the crew led by team captain Daniel “Woody” Wood of Australia. Their leadership reflects the international makeup of the Diggers, whose paddlers and staff hail from countries across the world.
The Stanley championships are held each year at Stanley Main Beach on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island, timed to coincide with the Tuen Ng, or Dragon Boat, Festival. The festival commemorates the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan and has grown from a local fishermen’s tradition into an international sporting spectacle, with crews paddling long, narrow boats to the beat of a drummer. This year’s edition was anchored within “Dragonbeat,” an expanded festival programme presented by title sponsor Shangri-La Group under a five-year partnership.
Dragon boat racing rewards precise synchronisation among a full crew, with every paddle entering and leaving the water in unison and a steerer holding the boat to a narrow racing lane. Over 270 metres, the margins separating the leading boats can come down to fractions of a second — the difference the Diggers found on the right side of at Stanley.
