How a Dragon boat Event in Penang turned into a tragedy.

I recently came back from the Penang Pesta International Race with my team OneStroke aka Kaki Bukit Constituency Sports Club full of great memories and lessons learnt. The race was held in Telok Bahang Dam in Penang Island; well known for their Unesco world heritage site and tantalising Penang cuisine. The race atmosphere was fantastic, the water conditions were perfect and the race organisation though hectic and haphazard proved to be worth our while. It was a great first for many of my paddlers I was coaching; a great virgin overseas experience that exceeded everyone's expectations. Well having said that, it was unfortunate that the races on the second day were marred by an unfortunate incident that involved a young 19 year old race official who supposedly drowned in the waters that he ever was so comfortable with.

Teluk Bahang Dam (Credits to Timothy Tye)

Up until lunchtime on Sunday, everything seemed to be going perfectly well and the weather conditions were set for the final stages of the competition. Although the sun was unbearably hot, the paddlers were well sheltered from the scorching sun with the sufficient tentages around the athlete's village. The sun wasn't too kind to one of the race officials who had to bear the brunt of the scorching heat in the open waters on a pontoon 500m away from shore. Rumour has it that he suffered a heat stroke and collapsed into the water unnoticed during the lunch break. Why was he on the pontoon in the middle of the heat was unknown to all of us but it was truely sad to hear how he was left baked in the hot sun unnoticed at all. 

I wouldn't blame the organisers who decided to rush everyone to get the race to proceed as smoothly as they could. Having taken care of the paddlers who were their money machines, inadvertently they forgot to take care of the people who had seemed oblivious to them all this while. The boy was still missing by the time we left the race site. With emergency personnel rushing to the scene 30 minutes after the incident was reported, we really wonder if he would be alive at all.

It just goes to show that safety is still an essential part of our responsibility as coaches just as much as training is important. It was a good lesson for me to take away as a coach and teacher that life to is too fragile to take chances. My condolences to the family and friends of this young man, who could have, would have lived a promising future ahead of him. May peace be upon him.