PADS paddlers in action during the IDBF Club Crew World Championships in Sarasota, Florida where they won four gold medals. | Photo from the PADS Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The world-renowned Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (PADS) Dragon Boat Team welcomes 2023 with a busy schedule.
PADS, which won four gold medals in last July’s International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) 13th Club Crew World Championships in Sarasota, Florida will be organizing and joining various dragon boat events this year.
It can be recalled that PADS won four gold medals in the IDBF 13th Club Crew World Championships in Sarasota, Florida, USA. They also helped organize Cebu’s biggest dragon boat race, the inaugural Mandani Bay Dragon Boat Regatta 2022 in Mandaue City.
For this year, PADS will start their loaded schedule by organizing the Cebu Mini Race at the Pajara Park in Mandaue City, below the Marcelo Fernan Bridge on January 29.
The dragon boat event is intended to draw local dragon boat teams after the Mandani Bay Dragon Boat Regatta Sinulog Festival Invitational Cup 2023 was postponed due to unknown reasons.
According to PADS founder and team manager JP Maunes, they don’t have the exact details of when the Mandani Bay invitational will happen. Nonetheless, they are gearing up for January 29 race.
After that, PADS will head to Guam for the annual Guam Invitational next month followed by a local race in Sogod town dubbed Panagsogod Dragonboat Festival in north Cebu in March.
In April, they will compete in the Black Manta Warrior (BMW) Dragon Boat Club’s Dragon Boat Festival back in Cebu.
In May, PADS will organize the Mandaue City Mayor’s Cup and June’s Tudela Dragonboat Race on Camotes Island. They will return to Sogod for another dragon boat competition, the Panagsogod Dragon Boat Regatta in July.
In August, they will head to Thailand for probably the biggest race for them this year, the IDBF World Championships.
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