EDBF European Nations Dragon Boat Championships turns PINK once again! Banyoles Lake, Banyoles, Girona, Spain 31st August - 4th September 2022
Submitted by Lucia de Ranieri
The 14th edition of this event took place a few days ago in the wonderful setting of Banyoles Lake in Banyoles, Spain. I was lucky to spend three beautiful days there with our IBCPC President, Meri Gibson, and Paola Pochesci, chair of the EDBF Women in Sport Commission, of which I have the honor to be a part.
For me attending this event was a great thrill because it was basically the first dragon boat event I have been to since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020.
Seeing the dragon boats dart across the water and feeling the enthusiasm and adrenaline of the crews during the races was so exciting, especially when the Breast Cancer Paddlers’ teams competed.
EDBF first opened their Championships to BCP crews in 2016 during the 12th EDBF European Dragon Boat Nations Championships in Rome.
The competition, open to all National Dragon Boat Teams in Europe that are members of the European Dragon Boat Federation, this time saw the BCP championship with 4 crews in the races, 3 from Spain and one from Sweden. All of them competed in the categories small boat 200m and 500m; Pink Dragon Ladies (Sweden) and BCS Sevilla (Spain) also competed in the category 2000m. The team called MaPonVa BCS Spain was a composite crew of three different Spanish teams (Madrid – Pontevedra – Valencia), a beautiful example of synergy between teams.
Banyoles was a great occasion also to meet in person our latest newbie IBCPC member team, Picam’s Dragons Team from Badalona (Spain), with whose membership we have come to touch 300 member teams!
I met also BCP attending the event as athletes as part of their national team, such as our friends from Pink Mouflons (Cyprus).
I had a lot of fun positioning myself as a photographer for our European sisters, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to have met them and to have shared the joy of being part of a paddling event after the suspension due to the pandemic. The strength of pink energy is always overwhelming.
Meri and I certainly spent some very intense days, meeting old friends and making new ones, among many laughs, lightheartedness, and enjoying our favorite sport, we took every opportunity to spread our mantra far and wide: “Exercise is medicine”!
We are so grateful to Paola Pocheschi and the EDBF President, Claudio Schermi, and to the whole EDBF for having invited and welcomed us into the EDBF family, their amazing hospitality made us feel very much at home.
