The Philippines, through Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF), came home victorious after winning four gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the 14th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championship in Pattaya, Thailand. The Philippines finished 8th out of thirty countries to proudly qualify for the 2020 Dragon Boat World Cup
The PDBF teams overcame the lack of resources to really bring pride and honor to the country. It came to a point that the paddlers did not have anything to eat for dinner and slept on empty stomachs. For breakfast, the teams shared left-over rice and sardines. It was the Filipino community in Thailand that provided lunch that sustained the paddlers in the afternoon.
But the biggest victory of PDBF was over the injustice it was suffering back home. Despite the absence of recognition and support from POC and PSC, PDBF was able to perform well and win several medals in the highly competitive tournament. PDBF showed that dreams cannot be crushed even by the harshest conditions and injustice. The resiliency of PDBF is what made its campaign in the world championships truly exceptional and worthy of praise and recognition.
The biggest victory of PDBF goes beyond the medals won. It is more about the triumph of the human spirit over injustice and great difficulty. PDBF is a true winner indeed.
