| Hakim Hayat & Aziz Idris |
THE waters of the Brunei River was once again transformed into a hive of activity and colour yesterday, as dozens of rowing teams battled against one another in the country’s biggest and most-awaited annual boat race competition, the Brunei Darussalam Regatta 2018.
The event, held at the Dermaga Diraja in the capital and drawing thousands of boating enthusiasts and visitors, was injected with that extra bit of excitement with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s participation in a special boat race category in the afternoon.
On hand to welcome His Majesty on arrival yesterday afternoon at the Dermaga Diraja were Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong; Minister of Communications and Acting Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yusof; and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin in their capacities as Joint Advisors of Brunei Darussalam Regatta 2018 Executive Committee.
Also joining His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel; and His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.
The full-day event, organised in conjunction with His Majesty’s 72nd birthday celebrations, saw 12 boat race categories being contested – six in the morning and another six in the afternoon.
Among these were the 15-Rower Fibreglass Special Boat Race, 25-Rower Traditional Boat Race, 15-Rower Fibreglass Boat Race Between Institutions of Higher Learning, 15- and 20-Rower for Under 30 Youth Fibreglass Boat Race, and 15-Rower Colleges and Secondary Schools Fibreglass Boat Race. The races culminated in a grand finale event: a traditional boat race marathon involving 30 rowers.
Apart from members of the public, the participants of the races also comprised Cabinet Ministers, state dignitaries, members of Diplomatic Corps, heads of government departments, and guests from the private sector.
Displaying copious amounts of enthusiasm and energy, His Majesty captained a team of 15 rowers – team Rajawali – in the 15-Rower Fibreglass Special Boat Race category, vying against eight other VIP teams to kick-start the event’s afternoon segment.
Also taking part in the special category boat race were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, who led the Punai team, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik who led the Penjulong team and His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, who headed the Kitang team.
Under His Majesty’s stewardship, team Rajawali finished in second place, while the Punai team led by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah took third spot. Winning the race was the Kitang team led by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah. Taking fourth place was the mukim penghulus and village heads team.
Following the race, His Majesty watched several other races held as part of the regatta, including the 20-Rower for Under 30 Youth Fibreglass Boat Race, 15-Rower Fibreglass Boat Race Between Institutions of Higher Learning, 15-Rower Colleges and Secondary Schools Fibreglass Boat Race, and the 20-Rower Youth Open Fibreglass Boat Race.
The monarch then boarded a boat from the jetty of the Dermaga Diraja to Pulau Sibongor in the Brunei River to flag off the 5km 30 -Rower Traditional Boat Race Marathon.
After this, His Majesty toured the Regatta Exhibition at the Dermaga Diraja Art Gallery. The exhibition, themed Sungai Brunei – Penghubung Budaya Warisan Brunei, features, among other exhibits, a gallery of pictures from the last year’s regatta held in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne, as well as a collection of special artworks made by students from selected schools and colleges.
At the event’s conclusion, His Majesty consented to present prizes to winners of each of the 12 race categories. A strong team of 30 rowers from Pasukan Olahraga Dayung Seluruh Indonesia Kalimantan Barat (PODSI Kalbar), emerged champions in the 30-Rower Traditional Boat Race Marathon category.
Meanwhile, earlier in the morning, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah flagged off the regatta’s 25-Rower Inter-Ministry Traditional Boat Race – which was won by the Ministry of Defence – before later presenting prizes to the winners of the different boat race categories.
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah also witnessed several boat races in the morning segment, including the 30-Rower Traditional Open, 20-Rower Inter-Company Fibreglass, and 20-Rower Youth Open Fibreglass boat races. Also taking place in the morning were the 20-Rower District Fibreglass, 25-Rower Traditional Open, and 15-Rower Under 30 Youth boat races.
According to organisers, apart from enlivening the celebrations for His Majesty’s 72nd birthday, the regatta’s goal is to strengthen societal cohesion through sportsmanship within and outside the country, as well as to boost tourism to the country.
Besides local rowers, the major calendar event also saw the participation of international rowerteams from Malaysia, Indonesia and China.
Ever since its revival in 2012, the Brunei Darussalam Regatta has succeeded in rekindling the golden era of traditional boat racing along the Brunei River and stirring interest in the spectacle among the youth, as well as drawing crowds back to the capital.
His Majesty’s participation in the regatta demonstrates his enthusiasm for the traditional sporting event, which was popular during the golden era of the Brunei River back in the 1950s and actively partaken by His Majesty’s father, Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam.