The Shangri-La Abu Dhabi Dragons (UAE) dragon boat racing team have arrived home after a successful trip to Asia, competing in some of the most prestigious dragon boat festivals in the world. The Shangri-La Abu Dhabi Dragons (UAE) competed in a series of races in Penang and Hong Kong.
The Shangri-La Abu Dhabi Dragons (UAE) women’s team were the first group to compete in the 30th Penang International Dragon Boat Race on 24th May, where they finished in a successful fourth position.
With over 130 teams competing in the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Regatta on 30th and 31st May, the Shangri-La Abu Dhabi (UAE) Dragons completed the Mixed Category Cup A International Final race with an outstanding fourth place finish, with a time of 02’05.10. The team were just a few tenths of a second from third place.
The women’s team took home a trophy in third place in the Women’s Cup B Final with a final time of 02’21.53. The team celebrated further success coming a competitive fifth place in the Mixed Category Cup B International Final with a time of 02’15.83.
Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, sponsors the UAE team that includes four hotel employees. Adrian Rudin, General Manager, said: "We are very proud of our four colleagues that have done so well in this highly competitive international competition. The hotel team was only formed last year and they have all done extremely well to now be participating in worldwide events. We could not have asked for more from our colleagues and the other team members. They have all done an amazing job.”
The employees of Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, first formed the Shangri-La Dragons last year and won first place in the Dragon Boat Festival held in Abu Dhabi in November. The team went on to enjoy victories in the Global Eye Dragon Boat Festival as well as the National Dragon Boat Competition in Dubai, stamping their mark on the dragon boat community in the United Arab Emirates.
Dragon Boating is an ancient sport that originated from China more than 2500 years ago but has seen extraordinary worldwide growth over the past three decades. Today, it boasts over fifty million competitors from six continents annually and has been included in many multi sport competitions such as the 2010 Asian Games.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 62 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 50 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information or reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.
Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, is owned by Al Jaber Group. The Group has played an instrumental part in the phenomenal development and growth of the United Arab Emirates over the last 30 years. With a current dedicated and professional workforce of over 25,000 employees and a visionary management team
the group has made a significant contribution in playing an integral part of the countries ambitious construction efforts. Al Jaber’s participation in the development of the UAE’s infrastructure has included involvement in areas such as construction, logistics, oil and gas services, landscaping, industrial development and trading. The
achievements of Al Jaber have performed with consistent quality safety and excellence to bring services and products that have helped build a nation.
