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ARCHIVED NEWS RELEASE

May 25, 2021

Today’s unveiling of BC’s Restart Plan provides a framework for all of us to safely navigate this next phase of COVID.

We know many of you are excited to return to the water with your team, and we’ve been preparing for this eventuality for a long time. Tonight, we have released approximate timelines and details for our dragon boat return to play plan, to help teams begin planning their season. As COVID continues to develop, we remind everyone that dates and protocols may shift. We do not expect to relax our COVID protocols until much later in the season, if at all in 2021. Please click here for further details.

Over the past year, we’ve experienced many changes to our daily lives, and we recognize the toll COVID has taken on our community. Simply put, the return to play does not mean you have to return right away. If you’re not ready to return to paddling yet, we understand. We will be here when you are ready, and you will always be a welcome part of the community. If you are ready to head out on the water, we ask you to be understanding of those that aren’t ready yet, and to help keep our facility safe for everyone.

There is much to be excited about in the coming weeks. We look forward to putting our newly refurbished boats back into the water, welcoming paddlers and teams back, and (fingers crossed) running an exciting race in late September. Our revitalized cultural programs will help connect culture and sport, with our exhibit at BC Sports Hall of Fame reopening on Friday after a temporary pause to support COVID circuit breaker restrictions, and announcements on our Fall Festival programming coming in June.

We also acknowledge the loss and grieving that our community as a whole has felt, and hope you will join us when restrictions lift for a collective moment of remembrance and contemplation.

More details will be coming over the days and weeks ahead, and there will be unforeseen issues that create further roadblocks. But while COVID isn’t gone yet, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. We look forward to reaching the end of this long journey soon.

Alexis Gall
General Manager
Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society

Dominic Lai 黎憲榮 
Development, Marketing, and Operations Director
Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society