Australian national team leader Belinda Chung said the weather in Hong Kong was very different from that of her country, but the team “enjoyed the heat and humidity”.

“Hong Kong is one of our favourite places to compete,” she said. “This gives us a different feel of dragon boating, because we all know that dragon boating is from Hong Kong and Asia as well.”

Dragon Boat Festival returns to Hong Kong, but turnout still under pre-Covid mark

This year also marked the first time for Poland to send its national team to compete in the races, after a few competitions in Shenzhen and Guangzhou before.

Team leader Joanna Spychala-Dura said the weather and the 14-hour flight had been huge challenges to them. But she said they adapted to it after a couple of training sessions during their 1½-week stay.

The first-timers ultimately earned fourth place in the International Mixed Championship, and fifth in the International Women’s Championship.

Peggy To Pui-ki, a member of a local team which came first in the Women’s Championship in the morning, said she was excited about the return of the event, and that they had trained five days a week since January to prepare.

“It’s hard to describe the feeling, during the pandemic all kinds of competitions were cancelled. We tried to train but we did not have a target, but this time the races are back on a large scale, with many international teams, and more residents are engaged.”

Amateur teams were also competing, including “S-dragon”, which came seventh in the final of the Open Championship, and sixth in the President Shield.

Racer Jason Tse, 50, said: “We all have full-time jobs and had to squeeze in time for the training at night, at least three to five times a week … We are really happy about the result.”

As for the International Mixed Championship, racers from Macau came first with a time of one minute and 57 seconds, followed by teams from Xinhui on the mainland and Australia.

Local team Mr Dragon@3 Wood Timber took first place in the President Shield, and the second in the Open Championship.

Along the Avenue of Stars attraction at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, spectators quickly filled a covered stand next to the Bruce Lee statue.

Many others watched from the promenade to observe the strengths and team spirit of the contestants on the 500-metre racecourse.

Litchi Li, a 27-year-old tourist from Sichuan province in mainland China, said she was watching dragon boat racing for the first time.

“This really satisfied our curiosity, because dragon boat races are rarely held in our hometown, in an inland region,” she said.

“I am happy to be at a real mega event, with all the colourful flags lined up on the promenade.”

Paul Liu, a 33-year-old Hongkonger who works in the information technology industry, went to the races with his wife and four-year-old daughter.

“This is her first time watching, we want to show her what it is and to learn about the sport,” he said. “I also went to the races in Sha Tin last Thursday, the crowds looked thinner here.”

Organisers also set up game booths with ice cream as prizes. As the crowds grew, about a dozen police officers were seen patrolling the area.

Dr Pang Yiu-kai, chairman of the Tourism Board, said the competition was a chance to showcase the traditional customs and culture of Hong Kong to the international community.

“With the resumption of flights, more tourists are coming to Hong Kong and they long for a unique experience to enjoy the traditional culture and customs, aside from shopping and dining, we believe the festivities would bring in more tourists in the future,” he said.

Arnold Chung Chi-lok, secretary general of the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, said he was confident the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, which were moved from Hong Kong to Thailand this year because of now-lifted pandemic restrictions, would return to the city in 2027.

The event, held every two years, will take place in Germany in 2025.