GUANGZHOU -- An international dragon boat competition was held on June 17 in Guangzhou City of Guangdong Province in south China in anticipation of the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon boat racing is among the various time-honored events celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival, which is an important traditional festival in China, and it falls on June 22 this year.

The Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament with nearly 50 years of history is also the first since 2019, which highlights the city's festival celebrations.

Nearly 5,000 athletes from a total of 125 dragon boat teams from across the country participated in the exciting races. Teams representing universities, consulates, and chambers of commerce and brother cities were all set for this year's tournament.

Among the participants was Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Team, a squad made up of a range of different nationalities. The members said they were really happy to return to the Pearl River and compete on the big stage.

"It's absolutely wonderful to be here again. Last time was 2019, so it's great to be back. You can hear it yourself. There's a great atmosphere here today. Many of them have never competed before, some of them haven't competed for four years. This is special, this is a little different. And this is the best," said David Butler, general manager of the team and also director of FBC Training and Consulting Company.

The team prepared for the highly anticipated competition for months, training multiple times a week and spending many early mornings in the sweat of their brow. The members said a long-standing team-first attitude brought them together.

"There's no pressure when it comes to expectations. I just paddle and fight together with the members. It's a team game, so we just have to go forward with the team's rhythm. It doesn't matter if we win or not, we'll get it done and do our best," said Chen Junyu, paddler of the dragon boat team.

Paddling is a daunting task that taxes the entire body and is a test of one's physical endurance, but some of the team members said the sport is a way of finding that perfect vibe.

"I find that dragon boating is probably the best kind of meditation there is. When you are on a distance of 600 meters or you're doing a long paddle, you know exactly where you are. You can relax your mind, you can work hard. You get into the zone, you get into this flow. And you just want to keep going. So your mind becomes still, and you just carry on paddling as hard as you can," Butler said.

With more races scheduled for June, both the men's and women's teams of the Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Team are set to compete throughout the Pearl River Delta region.