Tobago to host 2019 Pan Am Dragon Boat competition

Tobago is gearing up for a major dragon boat competition next year with the Pan-American Club Crew Championships 2019 to be held from March 22-24 at Pigeon Point.

Tourism Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), in collaboration with the TT Dragon Boat Federation and the Pan-American Federation will host teams from across the Pan-American region of Canada, USA, Panama, Puerto Rico.

Speaking at Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing held at the Administrative Complex in Calder Hall said the THA would “have to assist in deferring the cost of the boats and so the boats would belong to the THA.”

Last weekend, the 8th annual Tobago Dragon Boat Festival was held at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park, with 12 teams from Trinidad competing, and two from Tobago.

With a low turnout reported during the two days of the festival as compared to previous years, Stewart Phillips attributed this to Sunday being Father’s Day as well as the World Cup.

“I know some of the teams from Trinidad, they did cancel at the last minute. Of course, it was Father’s Day and I think that is something we would have to look at. As well as now is World Cup… so I think those were some of the attributing factors because I received reports based upon attendance over the years, it was slower this year and those were some of the factors attributed,” she said.