The Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships are under way, with the final races set to take place on Monday, which is the Dragon Boat Festival.
Several teams made up of foreign nationals are competing in the races this year, including participants from Israel, Australia, Malaysia, Russia and the Philippines.
This year the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is fielding both a men’s and women’s team. AIT is the de facto US embassy in the absence of official ties.
One AIT official, Henley Jones, said he had a lot of fun and appreciated the opportunity to experience this unique part of Taiwanese culture even though his team did not make it through to the quarter finals in the men’s division.
Meanwhile, AIT’s women’s team has advanced to the quarter finals and will be competing on Monday.
A total of 233 teams registered to compete in this year's races.