Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Paddles Ready is your go-to podcast for everything happening in the world of paddle racing.
Hosted by Dougie and Hando, the show brings you inside the sport with race reviews, real-time commentary, and conversations with paddlers from across the globe. Whether it’s breaking down major competitions, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, or hearing directly from the athletes shaping the sport, this podcast keeps you connected to the pulse of paddle racing.
From elite races to grassroots scenes, Paddles Ready covers it all, giving you insight, perspective, and the stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
What you’ll hear:
Honest race reviews and analysis
Conversations with paddlers and industry voices worldwide
Commentary on trends, performances, and competition results
Stories from the front lines of paddle racing
If you follow paddle racing or want to understand it better, this is where you stay informed.
👉 Visit paddlesready.com for more episodes and updates.
Who's a stronger paddler, an outrigger or a dragon boater? Ooh, I think they're both strong and they're all elite athletes, but-
Where did the journey begin with you, uh, even stepping on a dragon boat?
I'd been trying to get TV coverage. They said, "Oh, well, you know, it's not very exciting. It's a bit like watching rowing, you know?"
Was that because you wanted to get it in the Olympics?
The main thing was to keep to that Hong Kong standard boat, keep to that standard paddle. People see these four or five boats coming down, not very well paddled, quite slow, and they think that's dragon boating.
Beers or lemonade? Beers all day, big papa.
Um,
we're going to
China. Grant Kenny coming over the back. It's big Darrell Eastlake coming straight over the back of the waves. Kenny, Leach. So Hayden, China. Stand by. Stay tuned Battles ready
This is Paddles Ready, the global voice of paddle sports. Live commentary, race coverage, athlete stories, and expert analysis from across the world of paddling. From dragon boat racing to ocean ski, this is where the competition, the culture, and the stories come together. Let's get into it
G'day Hando, how are you?
Dougie, good evening, good night. And, uh, looks like we've got Ev, mate our guests are getting better and better.
100%, and that's, uh, mate after 30 years of paddling, uh, 35 years you have been going for I wouldn't expect anything else from you mate. And today we have... Oh, got something to tell you.
You would've seen on the, um, socials, I've been up in Singapore. I got to spend a, uh, couple days up in Singapore with AusChamp. Met a couple, uh, German paddlers, um, K1, dragon boat, senior Bs, and then I got to, uh, go down on the water, the lights on the boat Friday night it was the Dragon Sprint night, then they had more stuff going on the Saturday.
It was the best. I was looked after. The girls in Singapore we did plenty of content, um, but Nico I can't wait for you to see that, I can't. But before we go any further the royalty, who have we got today Nico? Because I'm gonna hand it over to you because I know this guy is a very, very good friend of yours.
Well he's a s- a special guest that I met in Hong Kong. Um, I call him Mr. Dragon Boat. Mike Haslam the, the founder, the ex-president, the past president of the IDBF, Mike Haslam welcome to Paddles Ready.
Thank you. Th- thank you for the introduction. Much appreciated.
I think you, I think you just said Mike when we were having a chat off air, when Mike was having a chat off air, um, honorary president so you never lose that.
No I... No. But the, uh, all the past presidents become honorary presidents, um, so actually there's about four or five of us. It remains with you until you drop off the tree basically.
But it's still a nice little touch by the, uh, IDBF.
Yeah. Yeah. It was, um, one I introduced way back really for protocol reasons really to keep, um, our Chinese friends and, uh, the people that started the federation with me, um, i- in the pictures.
You know, some recognition that they'd, um, been involved. Um, and, a- and so it's continued from there. Um, but seeing as I... There's only, there's only been three of us since then so there's not to- not too many. Um, but anyway that's where it started.
No, and, and, and look, I, I think Dougie, we've been talking about the history, the culture of dragon boating and also IDBF.
Mike, what got you involved? For, for the, for the people that are tuning in that mightn't know you, because we're going across the world global to many, many people. Where did the journey begin with you, uh, uh, even stepping on a dragon boat?
Okay. Um, it began... I mean, I mean, I'm a sprint canoeist by background, and that was where I was, um, involved in, um, paddle sports for some years.
And then in 19, um, 81, um, I was the director of the World Sprint Championships in Nottingham, and the previous year in 1980, the Hong Kong Tourist Association sent some wooden boats, dragon boats across for a Chinese festival in London. Um, and they were looking to run the event on the Thames basically. No one had ever seen a dragon boat, of course.
The big teak boats?
Yeah, the big, the big ones. Well, the st- what we call the standard boat now. Um, and of course, they contacted the Canoe Federation and, um, uh, and so some of the canoe clubs, rowing clubs, all sorts of people, uh, joined the fun, uh, in London and paddled them these, um- dragon boats. Uh, one of the clubs, Richmond, knew I was looking for things to do in the lunch hour at Nottingham during the world championships and they said, "Hey, we, we race these funny boats on the Thames."
And I said, "What do you mean a funny boat?" So they sent me a picture of the dragon boat and I thought, "Well, that looks interesting. Um, maybe I can get them up to Nottingham and we can, um, we can play around with them dur- you know, during the lunch hour." So through the Hong Kong Tourist Association, as it then was, I arranged for the boats to be moved from London to Nottingham with a transport company that, um, they were providing mobile grandstands in Nottingham.
You know, so y- I, I found in life that, you know, things happen when they're meant to happen and coincidence is, is, is the link between these things happening. So anyway, so we got the boats up to, um, up to Nottingham. Now, the interesting thing was I'd been trying to get TV coverage for the world championship, Sprint World Championships, um, Olympic sport.
TV weren't interested. Um, local media weren't that interested. They said, "Oh, well, you know, it's not very exciting. It's a bit like watching rowing, you know?" Unless, unless you're in the sport, there's no interest. Um, and anyway, it's a weekend and that's overtime and blah, blah, blah. So I said okay. Anyway, they got-- arranged for the dragon boats to come up and I, uh, sent the same picture that I'd received of this dragon boat in Hong Kong to local media, to local outlets, free press and all the rest of it.
The phone started ringing. BBC, ITV, "Oh, we'd like to come and cover these dragon boats," which at that point hadn't even arrived, you know? And I said, "But, um, you know, it, it, it's a weekend and, um, you know, all the rest of it. Um, it's not..." "Oh, it looks interesting. We, we wanna come and cover it." So of course, being a bit, bit of a thinker, I thought, "Well, there's something going on here," um, all this interest in something that no one's ever seen.
Anyway, uh, I arranged some, some, uh, uh, races. Another press release to the free press. Same picture. We're gonna run some, uh, races during the lunch hours. Anyone interested? And 17 crews from different backgrounds, pubs, clubs, rowers, canoeists, including Lincoln Canoe Club, all applied, and so we raced them. Um, so we had the first, if you like, formal dragon boat races in the UK as part of the support for the world championships.
And it was very successful. I, I have a video in fact of the I- ICF board who wanted to have a go, all, all in suits and things, um, gently sinking in, um, in Nottingham because the boat got swamped Um, anyway, that's another story. So of course, um, I wrote a report afterwards to the ICF and said, "I thought this was of interest."
'Cause, you know, to me it was just another big canoe. Um, and they weren't interested. They said, "Mike, it, it'll never be canoe sport. Okay, it looks interesting. If you wanna develop it, you know, you go ahead, you have our support." So basically that's what I did. Uh, you know, I took a trip to Hong Kong Found out that they were inviting a crew from the UK and around the world, uh, every year for the international.
The r- the, the invite was going to the Rowing Federation, not to any canoe federation. So anyway, so I forged a good relationship with Hong Kong, uh, TA in London, uh, because they were doing it through the Rowing Federations because it was organized in Hong Kong, the Dragon Boat races by, by Bob Wilson and, and the Rowing Federation, so it's natural for them to go there.
So I said, "What are you getting out of it?" And they said, "Well, we're, we're trying to publicize Hong Kong, but quite honestly, we get nothing from the rowers. They, they take the boat, they train, they turn up, they race, but we don't, we don't get any publicity back in the UK or anything." So I said, "Well, look, if you'll, um, if you'll give the invitation to me, I will make sure that we get, uh, that you get lots of publicity, and we'll get, um, we'll get some dragon boaters," you know?
The-- W- which, of course, we didn't have at that time. And so we'll get some dragon boaters involved. And so that's how we moved, if you like. And of course, um, the bit still being involved with the canoeing, the, the first crew that I took to, to Hong Kong was the, uh, from the Elmbridge Canoe Club. And I think one of your previous, um, uh, interviews, you were talking about the different generations in, in the same boat.
Well, in that boat, the first one that went to Hong Kong, the, the drummer was the grandson, uh, the helm was the father, and two of, two, two of the kids were paddling in the boat, both Olympians as it happened, you know? Um, and I've still got these pictures because the drummer, she was only about eight or nine, blonde hair, blue eyes, you know.
You can imagine the attraction in Hong Kong. The, the press were all over it. Um, and that really set me on the journey, uh, because you go to Hong Kong, as you well know, uh, and it's wall-to-wall spectators, TV coverage, paddlers, the whole atmosphere. I spent 20 years with the ICF trying to promote sprint, sprint racing, gone to three Olympic Games.
Absolutely no interest in, outside of the sport from the media. And here we are, go to Hong Kong, and it's wall-to-wall publicity. Um, so the first time I went, um, I sort of got to talking to the other teams there, Australia and Canada and, you know, they're all, all ad hoc crews. No one with a dragon boat in that sense because th- there was no sport as such.
And I said, "Look, why don't we get together and, and form a federation? Because, um, if we don't, someone else might and, um, you know, we're here already." So, so let's do it. That was in, in '87, I think. Um, it took... Or '88. We agreed to meet the following year, and we met again following year. But of course, every time it's different people coming up from, from the different countries.
Chinese of course got involved. Um, so it took us from about '88 to '91 before we actually formed the federation, mainly because the Chinese were very concerned, saying, "Look, you know, you're trying to take our traditional sport away, you know, and that's not what we want." And I said, "No, no. We're trying to build a modern sport alongside your traditional dragon boating, much like Henley rowing, Wimbledon tennis.
You know, it's not, it's not the Olympics, it's not the world championships. It stands alone and al- always will."
Oh, as, as Mike... That, that, that there when you said stands alone, we just had the, uh, Claudio on, on... You probably saw his podcast, and making a very big statement that dragon boating is its own sport.
And you, Mike Haslam, you started that, being its own sport even though it had 2,000 years of culture and history. The IDBF was born out of that. And, and really interesting, I, I didn't know you were so heavily involved with the, uh, ICF and IDBF. Hey, look, that's another story. We'll talk about that another day as well, I'm sure.
D- Dougie, Dougie, Dougie, you met Mike in, I, I think '96. '
90... Oh yeah, it would've been '96, '97. It's... It would've been sliding mirrors, something, you know. It's, um... But it would've been between '96, '97, '98 when I was there. But I just wanted to ask Mike just one more question. When you rolled forward from England and you came from Nottingham, came up to Hong Kong, '87, '88, then to '91, you formed the IDBF.
Did you know what you were getting yourself into?
Um, not really. I mean, actually we formed the IDBF, the European Federation, in 1990, 'cause obviously operating in out of the UK, um, Hong Kong... Okay, I'm, I'm sort of winding back a bit really. I, I decided that you couldn't actually develop a sport with, uh, two ton wooden teak boats that you had to move around.
So, um, another canoeing friend of mine, Chris, Chris Hare, I said, "Look, you know, we need, we need to go to fiberglass," and he said, um, he'd been wanting to build a dragon boat, um, for some time, but he didn't have the money, as always, from fiberglass. So, um, again, I spoke to Hong Kong Tourist Association, said, "Look, you know, we wanna make fiberglass copies so we can really promote the sport and the, and, and develop the sport and therefore promote Hong Kong at the same time."
Uh, and they found the money from a, a, one of Chinese charities in Hong Kong, and Chris built the first fiberglass boat by copying obviously the teak boat. Um, so that moved us into... So this was all happening in Europe. Nothing obviously in the, in, in the Far East. So we developed out of, uh, the UK by forming the British, uh, Association in '87.
Uh, but before that in '85, I had the Dragon Boat Racing Club of Great Britain affiliated to the Canoe Federation. Um, anyway, so w- we got fiberglass boats, and, and once you've got fiberglass boats, of course you can do things. Uh, stick them on a canoe trailer and, and move them around. We started with a split boat, like the rowers do, so you could put two halves on a normal canoe trailer.
Um, and I went round the country with my wife running events with these two boats on a trailer. Um, and, you know, that's where we started in the UK. Hong Kong Tourist Association then said to me, um, "Actually, we've got, we've got an interest in, in, in the Netherlands that would like to start it through our Hong Kong office there.
Can you go across there and run some events?" And we said yes, and then of course they wanted boats, and the same with Sweden and Denmark, and so, and Germany. So slowly we developed in, in, in the UK between, uh, say '87 and 1990, and then we formed the European Federation. So by '91 with the IDBF, really that was the second stage.
So I knew I, what I was getting into to a degree, because obviously the European pattern had started things. But it was, um- It was exciting times. I mean, you don't, you don't see it in that way. You're just doing your thing.
You just do it. Well, I mean, that's, the, the... For, ga- look, listening to you there, Mike, if I was to, uh, be a betting man, it sounds like the biggest obstacles were financial, logistics, and political.
Yeah, as always, of course. Um, not political at that stage because good old ICF, although didn't, they didn't wanna do it, uh, and said, "You, you know, you go, go, go do what you want. We'll help if you need us." Um, weren't involved, uh, not politically, not, not in a, in any way. Um, and actually they were very supportive through Sergio Orsi, the Italian president at the time.
He was very keen, and he said, "Look, you know, um- We'll, we'll help you get into the games. Anything you wanna do, just, just let me know. We'll be there." Um, so it was a good start politically. But yes, th- you know, financially, um, getting boats, switching to fiberglass, of course, made all the difference because then you...
Sponsors' names and everything, uh, on the boat. Um, and I mean, it, it... As I've said before, coincidences happen, and when it's the right time, the right things happen. Um, we ran an event in, in, uh, in London. Uh, the press obviously took pictures. Um, Ken Lo, who ran a Chinese restaurant, famous Chi- Chinese chef in London, in Chelsea, phoned me up and said, "Oh," he said, "I'd like a dragon boat."
He said, "I saw the pictures. Uh, but, you know, uh, can I have a dragon boat?" I said, "Of course you can." You know? Uh, uh, so he, he brought one. Cathay Pacific, more or less the same situation, uh, they brought one. Um, and so we were able to develop the sport through that, that, that method. Once the BDA was up and running, of course we're still moving these two or three boats around from an event to event, but the clubs are starting to, to form, and they're saying, "Well, we need our own boats," you know?
So then they started to raise money and get sponsorship for their own boats, and that led us to the big trailer because they didn't want split boats. So you know, the, the sport developed almost exponentially as, as people got involved. Um, and it was the same obviously with the, with, with the IDBF. Once we got the IDBF formed, um, then we were able to e- export the, um, the standard boat as we now call it, um, w- with, with the fiberglass, um, uh, technical drawings and all the rest it.
Where were you manufacturing them, Mike?
Originally in, in the UK, uh, with Chris Hare in the UK. Um, then, um, say the G- the, the, the Berlin Wall came down. Uh, Manfred Russ, who was my vice chairman in Europe at the time, very keen, um, h- his family came from, um, a b- well, what was East Germany, Schwerin, um, and he was in Hamburg.
Uh, it's another story. And, uh, the night the wall came down, he got, he got in his car. You can imagine. He got in his car, drove to the border. The guards were all standing there. He said, "Okay, guys, it's over, so I'm coming through." They just let him through. He drove to Schwerin, his hometown, which actually is a big center for, for canoeing.
Um- Uh, so Saturday morning, found his, his old house. Uh, went to the, the town hall, demanded the keys to his old house and said, "I'm back. You know, this is my house," blah, blah, blah. It's all over. They gave him the keys, would you believe? This is very Germanic, of course. You know, they, they believe authority. Um, got the keys, went to his house, claimed it back, and the, one of the first things he, he wanted to do was to arrange a, a dragon boat, uh, event in, in Germany, in Schwerin.
As, you know, to, to, to signify the wall coming down and the two, two East G- East Germany, West Germany coming together. Um, s- so obviously we're, we, we ran a championships there. So all these little stories come, come at the right time for the right reasons. Um, so, uh, so anyway, so therefore Uh, Manfred wanted to build boats.
Uh, BUK, who... East German, uh, company, small company based in, in Schwerin. He said, "Okay, you know, I wanna help them as well." So he put the money in for them to build the first, uh, um, boats in Germany, and we sent across one of the UK boats for them to copy, basically. Um, 'cause being, being Germans they, they said, "Oh, we can improve this."
So you were making man- you were making fiberglass boats in Europe because I re- I, I, I... It re- really interesting that what you said there because still in Hong Kong even to the 2000s they were still using the teak boats. And I don't think it was until, till, till late maybe 2011 or '12 that Stanley started with Alson, started the big, the big 24-seater molds I think they got from BUK possibly or, uh, uh, and, and then obviously there's Champion and Pei Xing and, and, and all of that.
Yeah, well, that, that, that was all the next stage of course once having established manufacturers in, in, in the UK and Europe. The, the Chinese of course did make fiberglass boats, but great big heavy things. They just, um, could have been any dimensions. We standardized onto the Hong Kong boat, uh, the, the, the, the wooden teak boat because I, I said, "Look, you know, we've gotta have a standard and, uh, seen as it all started in Hong Kong what better than to use the Hong Kong boat?"
We didn't know that there were all these different designs in China, um, so we standardized on the Hong Kong boat. Same with the paddle. I said, "Look, we... Keep the paddle, keep the dragon boat. Don't change anything. Um, keep it all standard then, then the result is down to the crew, not to the technology that you introduce by changing the shape or the s- size of the paddle or putting the crank handling or whatever, you know?
Like they do in canoeing it changes every year. C1s, K1s you can't tell the difference these days, but it's like sitting on a razor blade or kneeling on a razor blade, um, because of design changes. So we stopped all that. The Canadians actually wanted to get rid of the drama 'cause he says, "Just, just Windaroo this."
And I said, "No, I don't think so." Um, so we had all these little, um, developments as you go along. But the main thing was to keep to that Hong Kong standard boat, keep to that standard paddle. Um, and as soon as we formed the IDBF, of course we, we agreed that, so that enabled us to produce a technical spec for the boat because the Hong Kong thing was just a, a, a small drawing with some basic design, uh, measurements on it.
So Charles Lee in the UK, uh, myself and Mike Thomas got our heads together and we w- uh, and with the help of the BUK, uh, produced a detailed technical manual so that anybody could take the drawings and reproduce the, the, the fiberglass boat. So as manufacturers came in, Champion being one obviously, TS, Swift, they all s- they all, uh, bought the, the, the technical drawings and, and the handbook and, uh- built their, their first plug and then a mold and the first boat, and we would go out and check it, uh, to make sure it was within spec.
Once we'd approved it, then, yeah, IDBF spec, then they got their license and away they went. So it, it, it, it developed that way. And there are builders in Australia too, um, and, and in, in Italy and Denmark. You know, there was, there were lots of builders. Poland to start with, but a- as the years gone by, of course, it, it's come down because the market is, is not huge.
Um, and, um, you know, it's, it's a difficult boat to, to, to build, to reproduce. So that, that's how it all started to spread once IDBF was up and running. Um, and then of course, we, we came to the small boat.
I think we could be on here for about 14 hours talking dragon boating with you. And, and, and so you could, and, and, and we can, we can nail it, and, and we love talking to you and I love seeing you around the world, even in Brandenburg.
Right on that, that spec, that 10-man spec boat, was that because you wanted to get it in the Olympics?
Yes. Um, and that's the story. Uh, Hong Kong 1997, second world championships in Hong Kong. I invited the IOC sports people department to come along and look. Okay? So they rolled up in Hong Kong, watched the races.
Said to me, "Oh, this is great. Colorful, you know, men, women, and all the rest of it, you know, all together. Great publicity." All, all the rest, as you know Hong Kong is. I said, "Oh, great. So when are we in the Olympics?" And they said, they said, "You're too big already." I said, "What do you mean we're too big already?"
They said, "Well, your numbers here," at that time was about, I don't know, less than 2,000 I guess. Um, they said, "You know, it, it... 20-odd people in the boat, you know? The Olympics is restricted to 10,000 roughly, as you well know, total. Athletes, coaches, officials, everything. Um, so, you know, to put 22 people in a boat times whatever number of countries, it, it gonna be big in the Olympics itself.
That, that's, you know, not gonna be on." Um, so I said, "Well, you know, if we had a smaller boat." And they said, "Well, you know, that, that would be interesting, a smaller boat." So that's why we developed the small boat. Um, really, and originally I said to Mike Thomas, "Well, maybe we should call it the Olympic boat as showing where the intention is."
And we thought, well, no, that would, that would... By this time, of course, the ICF were getting interested. Going, "No, that would alert, that would alert the ICF, so we won't call it... We'll call it a junior boat, um, and say it's for training and, and for the kids." Um, but that didn't work because the kids didn't want just a small boat, and no one just wanted to train in a small boat.
So we, we changed the name again to, to the small racing boat. And, and, and it's developed its own, own life and style, and we changed the design slightly, uh, to bring it more into raceability, 'cause the original one was a bit tubby, and the crew said, "Look, we can get this up to its optimum speed," and then, then that's it.
There's no ... You know, everyone's going along at the same speed. So we tweaked that, again with the help of Champion and BUK, um, to the, to the racing small boat that we have today. But yes, uh, the intention, uh, was and still is, because speaking to the Olympic committee since then, if it ever comes in it will be i- in the mixed boat, mixed crew, um, maximum 12 with reserves, say 15 with a coach and what have you.
But even if, even if, even on those numbers, y- uh, and they've already said long time ago, "If we ev- if we ever bring you in, you know, the numbers would be restrict-"
No, but the country, the countries will be restricted, Mike. Because similar to rugby union, you'll have a, you'll have a series, and you've got the IDBF World Championships, and then it's, then it's like the twel- the 12 top countries or the 24 top countries qualify for the Olympics.
That's, that's how you do it. Well, that, that'd be how I'd ... Like, like rugby sevens.
I'll tell you the total number of competitors that they will allow 300, 500, 700, whatever. And then you have to fit your se- rugby sevens teams or your dragon boat teams into that number. So that will give you the number of countries.
So, you know, in our case, our case they're talking about 500 mainly, the max 300 to 500. You divide that by 15, it'll tell you how many countries you could get. So yes, you'd have to have pre-Olympic qualification, uh, events to get down the number of countries that, uh, the, the Olympic, uh, would allow within that type of total number.
Which would be exciting, wouldn't it?
It would be exciting, um, and it would be good, but it would only be one event in small boats for about 12 countries every four years. Now, to me, the sport is much bigger than that. The, the sport is the world championships with 10,000, 12,000. Whoever knows what the number will be.
That to me is where the sport lies and, and, and the icing on the cake, if we ever get there, is 10 men or 10, 10 people in, in the mixed, mixed crew in, in, in the small boat.
Yeah. And that's what IDBF you've grown. You've grown that to world championships, you've grown that to club crew world championships.
You've got the, the, the breast cancer paddlers that are getting 6,000, 7,000 athletes. I think they're in France with Mary. Dougie, Dougie, what else did you have for Mike? Because I, I love talking to Mike.
Yeah. No, no. My thing was obviously on the ch- on the podcast we are doing loads of, uh, push, push and very pro Olympics.
We're talking about the Olympics now. Obviously with Brisbane coming in at 2032, um, IDBF trying to get that recognition, um, from IOC. Um, I think Mike's, you know, just pretty much answered everything. You know, w- do you think 2026, do you think this is the year? D- you know, are, are, are we progressing as far as a sport to get closer to the Olympics or, I mean, are the ans- are the, are, are the answers in the clues with just what you just said and it's, uh, it's just not gonna happen because it sounds like based on the numbers you just said, you're only gonna get maximum 15 countries.
Possibly. Uh, it's not gonna happen, um, in the short term. The, and the problem there of course is, is our friends with the ICF and that now you're really into the politics. Two things to remember is the IOC. The IOC is just a private members club, okay? Uh, and the members in the club protect the interests of the club and themselves.
To bring a new member into the club- Requires a lot of politicking and a lot of, um, a lot of effort. Uh, and how it works with the Olympic, say, given w- the ceiling of 10,000 we'll say, maybe a bit more, a bit less, um, if they bring a new sport in, then they have to reduce, get rid of a sport completely, or they reduce the numbers of each of the other sports.
Okay, we'll take 10 from athletics, 10 from swimming, so blah, blah, blah, to give you your three or 400, okay? So that's, that, that's that. To get to that stage, you first have to be recognized. To be recognized, you have to go through the club, uh, procedure of presenting your papers and all the rest of it, and then that's when you run into potentially your blackball situation, if you like.
Because if there's already a, a Olympic federation that is loosely or even more than that involved in your sport, there will be objections. Okay? That's the stage we've reached with recognition. The I- IOC, because we're a member of AIMS, um, know that we're the world governing body. They recognize that we're the, we're the world governing body.
Okay? But they also know that the ICF does some dragon boating. Okay? They also know that the ICF, uh, would like to Bring in dragon boating, okay? Now they would say to the ICF, "Well, if you're gonna bring in dragon boating, you're gonna have to, um, reduce the number you've got in slalom and the number you've got in sprint racing because we're not gonna give you any more numbers.
So there's a, there's a, a balance there, if you like. Okay? So that's another difficulty. From the IDBF's point of view, of course, if we came in then, then, um, the reduction in numbers would be across the sports, not just the canoeing. Um, so to come in through the IDBF i- is the most numerically, uh, uh, best way of doing it, but of course you have to be recognized and then you have to apply to become an Olympic sport.
That's another process. To get recognized, um, has taken us over 10 years so far. If we get recognized tomorrow, let's say, then you have to apply to go into the, to the games. And to do that you then become a member of, uh, of the, uh, the, um, um, non-Olympic sports but you're recognized. You then have to apply to come into the games.
That's a process that can take eight, 10, 15 years, who knows? Because you're up against all the other recognized sports who aren't in the Olympics. There's about 30 of them.
And Mike, what you've done with your team, with, with the people over the last 30, 40 years with dragon boating, you guys have your own mini Olympics anyway.
Like the, the, the, the amount of paddlers... And I've been, you know, my first club crew was in, in, in, uh, in Macau, which was phenomenal, and then Hong Kong, and then you, then you've elaborated even further into the Nations Cup. Like the racing is phenomenal. Like Brandenburg, when, when you met, uh, Dougie and I again when we were commentating in Brandenburg, the, the level of racing of the athletes from all divisions is just next level.
And it, and, and it is so good and this is, this is why it's really good for us at Paddles Ready talking to not only the federations but also the founder of IDBF and understanding how good... And, and you've been fighting the fight, haven't you? Um, but also not just, not just on one path. You've, you've kept it going and you, and you keep it going and, and for me, I'll, I'll step on, but i- but imagine, you know, you've been to Brisbane, Mike Brisbane has got the 2032-- Brisbane's got the 2032 Olympics.
We call the Brown Snake, where the city of the, the Brisbane... Imagine the boats, 30 boats paddling with the flags down, and here comes America co- And then as they go under the Story Bridge, the next one, next country's coming in, it goes into the stadium, and the stadium co- And they're walking. So as they've been paddling on the river onto the stadium, there's a spectacle, 'cause it's been, it's been a, um, uh, exhibition sport, was it Japan?
Uh, a, a few times, right?
Um, twice, but let-- I'll talk about that in more detail if you like, because that's the, that's the interesting aspect, if you like, of China. Okay? Their, their main, uh, objective W- with the, with the, with dragon boats is to get into the Olympics one way or the other. Okay? So now let's talk about demonstration sports.
There is, there is, there was dem- there were demonstration sports up until the early 2000s, and then the Olympics got rid of demonstration sports. Um, uh, uh, and then they brought them back in again fairly recently. But had there been demonstration sports in 2008, uh, in Beijing, then dragon boating would've been the, one of them.
Um, but they've moved away from that now. And they do have it the back they call demonstration sports. Okay? But they're, they're paid for by the organizer committee and all the rest of it, and arranged well in advance. Um, and they may or may not reappear. What they're trying to do with dragon boating is not get them in as a dragon, uh, demonstration sport, but the ICF have said to the IOC at the, the last two games, "Oh, we'd like to do a little bit of dragon boating, uh, because it's one of our disciplines.
Um, not part of the games or not a demonstration sport, but we, we would pay for them. Um, during our sprint racing regatta at the end when there's spare time, we'd just like to have, uh, a demonstration of dragon boating coming down the course, just one race, maybe two, um, in, in, in our new ICF eight-man dragon boat."
Okay? Um, they did it in Japan in the 10-man small boat, just one race. They did it in, in, um, in Paris, yeah, 'cause I w- I was there at the time. Um, again, i- in, in a small boat. But the crews were local. One was from, you know... It, it was a farce really, to be honest, because, you know, people see these four or five boats coming down, not very well paddled, quite slow, and they think that's dragon boating.
So that's what the ICF, they, they're continuing to try to do. Okay? So you have to ask yourself therefore what is an, from their point of view, what would the next step be? Okay? And it may, may well involve why Brisbane can't stay. And I'm, I'm playing de- devil's advocate if you like, l- looking in my crystal ball from a negative side for the IDBF, positive side for the ICF.
Okay? They got BS to build a eight-paddler boat. Okay? Which they raced in China last year. Um, and they're s- starting to produce them and sell them. Okay? Why an eight-person boat? Why would they want an eight-person boat when there's a 10-person boat already?
Well, well, you've got, you've, you've got the quads, you've got the, the, the, the C, the, the C4s, you put those paddlers into a boat.
Exactly.
Not drag- not dragonboaters. Not dragonboaters. You'd just... Y- y- you'd have the s- the, the C... Yeah?
Yeah. Y- the K4s, the C- C1s. You've got already in the Olympics enough good paddlers to paddle a, a mixed dragon boat very well. Very well. They only need a day's practice and, you know. You bring in another race, you bring in another race and I...
Yeah, I think that's their objective. I might be wrong, because I've never discussed it with them. I'm just looking at the way the sticks are falling. Eight-man boat doesn't need the IDBS permission. Eight people doesn't need any dragon boat paddlers from outside of the Olympic team that's already there.
Say to the IOC, "Okay, we'd like to run just one dragon boat race on the last day of the sprint regattas after everything else is finished. All we need from you is your agreement that it's a, that it's a demonstration, uh, sport to start with, and it's part of the Games, and therefore we'll need a set of medals That's, to me, is how the ICF could bring in dragon boat racing officially, if you like, uh, into the Olympic Games, and the Chinese would be over the moon about it.
As would everybody else except the dragon boat community, 'cause they wouldn't be involved.
We don't have to do any hot takes. We've t- we've got about two or three already.
Yeah.
Uh, so what else? Actually, Mike, just before, you know, I know we've all, um, we're not on any time constraints either, but I had a little bit of a, uh...
In China, Chinese Zodiac, it's the Year of the Horse. Um, it's associated with energy and e- energy and enthusiasm. Where- where's Mike Haslam see dragon boating by the end of 2026 w- globally? We're, we're five months in.
Well, as I say, um, you know, I t- start to look things... IDBF will survive and continue to grow and all the rest of it.
Um, w- what, what you've got to look at is the Chinese mentality in this, because over the last three or four years, the Chinese, uh, sorry, the ICF through China has become heavily involved in China. This year they're running a what, what they call a world championships, which should really just be called the ICF Dragon Boat Championships, uh, and the ICF Dragon Boat Cup.
Okay? Two events, two big events in China. And what's the I- I- IDBF got? In China this year. 2024 World Cup. 2026, where is it? It's not gonna be in China. If it happens, it will be in Macau. So the Chinese, it, it's how I see it, they have the ... They, they told me eight years ago that they would continue to sup- support the IDBF as the world governing body for, if, if you like, the festival international world championship side of things as they see it.
But when it came to top-grade international sport, i.e. Olympics, they would support the ICF. So I see that China, one horse, two riders. That's, that's how they see things. So they have no problems with supporting both because they see the objectives coming from two different direction. Great, IDBF, so much promotion around the world, so many paddlers paddling, so much good publicity for China, blah, blah, blah, blah.
But again, the icing in the cake, the Olympics, they will do if they can. If, if they think that's the best option, they will do it through the ICF. So that is the way I see the horse being ridden, if you like. Year of the horse.
The, the, the year, the, the, the, the year of the horse can ... You know, step forward, like, y- your, your crystal ball.
Imagine if that did happen and it was great. There's no way that countries would go, wouldn't have some of the dragon boaters come across and try and compete for that unless they stipulated that they'd have to have ... The only way that you could be recognized and, and, um, be eligible is if you were in a, a, a, another Olympic sport to be able to paddle in that sport.
Otherwise, why wouldn't you get the best of the best, the C1s and the canoeists and the outriggers trying to get in that team, Mike?
That's where it gets a m- bit messy, isn't it? Um, if the IO- uh, IOC say to the ICF, "Yes, you can bring in dragon boating," then obviously, y- and you can have another X number of competitors, you know, into your quota, then that opens up the question of selection, um, for, for the dragon boat team.
That's where I see that ICF, IDBF have to work together. Um, and, and with the demonstration idea they've got, I've, I've already suggested to both ICF president and the IDBF president, the way forward with that is for, um, both federations to agree that, um, dragon boating would come into the demonstration at the Olympic Games under the ICF banner because they're an Olympic federation.
But the selection of the paddlers, the officials, the, the, the boats would all be IDBF. So it would be the IDBF Okay. Would produce the crews, and the IDBF and the ICF between them would pay for those, uh, crews to, to, to go to the games for that two or three-day period. IOC wouldn't be too concerned about that 'cause it's not costing them any money, and it's not costing them any medals, but the sport would be there in front of the cameras for the whole world to see.
The whole world doesn't give a tiddly toot about, you know, where, where the money came from or who they are, but, you know. ICF president was very supportive of all of this because he and Claudio and I sat down, uh, last year in Brandenburg, um, and went through it all. He was very supportive, and we were gonna have a, a joint memorandum of understanding and only one world championships, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Uh, IDBF council went with that. ICF has stalled Their own board have not gone along the way that the, the president wanted them to go. So there's still discussions going on now. So what I'm telling you is all what-ifs, maybes, you know? It, it, it'll take a lot of politicking and a lot of agreement on both sides because there are ICF, there are ICF members that just don't want the IDBF involved.
We're just happy talking paddling. We're, we're happy talking dragon boating, outrigging, lots of different, um, paddle sports. Uh, but obviously being very dragon boat centric, both Doug and I... Well, Doug was an Ironman, so obviously I wasn't. And you're, and, and, and, and, a- a- and, and, and, and you're, you're a, a canoeist, so I was just a mere little dragon boater.
Uh, but, but yeah. And, and, and we loved, we loved having you guys up, um, you know, i- in Italy you came up and helped, did some interviews. Brandenburg you did some interviews. Uh, are you gonna be in Taiwan?
Probably. Um, it, it that's another subject of course. Uh, politics involved there, um, is another story altogether.
But, um, yeah, probably. But it's, it's a long way from, dare I say, it's a long way from civilization, isn't it?
The last thing that I want to say, I suppose, is you started in Hong Kong. The IDBF and Claudio, we had a great interview with Claudio and the IDBF and, and they've made some amazing announcements recently with China and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association.
They have brought the IDBF back home to its roots in Hong Kong. What do you feel about that?
No, I d- I mean, it's great. I mean, I, I actually started that process, uh, before, uh, I left the presidency in 2015. Um, and the object was to bring it back to Hong Kong as a limited company. Um, and then obviously I, I, I left, a new president, and it, it didn't go that way.
Um, and now Claudio's trying to take it back to where it was because i- in 2015, 2014, he, Mike Thomas and I sat down and discussed it all. Um, so yes, that's where it should be. And actually, it, given the ICF situation with their move into China, it's exactly the right time and the right place to be, um, because then we can get our i- influence back, if you like, i- in, in China.
So again, right time, right, right things happen. Um, so that will be great. Uh- The opposition to that always came unfortunately through, from Europe. Uh, that w- opposition is gone, hopefully. So, uh, we're a limited company there now. New articles association, so we're, we're the same organization but we're different, if that makes sense.
And, um, again, uh, people... Yeah, stay the same but different. Um, and I, I think that's, that's, that's great, and Claudio has done a great job in, in, in getting that over the line. Um, and there was a lot of opposition in, within the IDBF itself from certain nations. Um, but we, we got there. Uh, he, he got us there, um, and I'm sure that the future is, is very bright.
Um, you know, what, what I like about Claudio, I mean, I brought him into the sport many years ago. This young Italian turned up. He was also a paddler, so, you know, uh, I'd known him as, as a paddler with, with the, the GP paddlers, um, that, that I was responsible for, uh, Grace and Bourne being one of them. So, you know, the, the background to it, is there.
And I always thought, you know, here's a guy with so much enthusiasm and all the rest of it, um, that he'll be good for the sport. But, um, but you know, Claudio is Claudio. Very Italian, very emotional, you know, and all the rest of it. And, um, so much, so much passion. Um, and that's, that's- Where he, he runs into, if you like, the, the, the old stayed British who d- who don't see things quite, uh, so emotionally.
But, but, uh, and that's the problem with the sport. You're, you're, you're the same. You Australians, the Canadians, the Americans, the Brits, you know, we're all involved at the top of the sport with the same mentality if you like, the same background. Claudio's a breath of fresh air. He's completely dif- completely different.
And, um, uh, uh, and again, you know, where, where are, uh, Chinese representatives, Singapore representatives? Hong, there are Hong Kong we now have, but, you know, the, the balance in the sport if you like at the top level to me needs to be readdressed. There was too, too many of us English-speaking nations right the way across all the, all the commissions and what have you.
Uh, we need to get a balance because it's a, a, it's a world sport, not, it's not a, it's not an English-speaking nation sport. Um, but that's a- another political issue.
I loved it when you go back, just moving back on where you said you wanted the spec, you wanna keep the dragon, you want the drummer, you want that, you know, paddling in the old teak.
And, and, and, and, and China have adapted that with all their manufacturers. We had Mr. Luo, uh, from Champion. He, he was with us for two hours down in our, in, in our, in our actual studio. Um, we wanna be the voice to have paddlers-
Yeah, absolutely. Um, and, you know, until the Chinese really came on board, I mean, rolling it back, I mean, after the IDBF was formed, of course, we'd adopted the spec, standard spec.
They came forward because they were running the, the, the world championship and they said, "Oh, but we want to use, um, you know, our Chinese boats. Our Chinese traditional dragon boat is bigger and it's got a gong beater and all the rest of it." Um, and we said, "Okay, we'll make an exception. But no, you know, we're, we're standardizing on Hong Kong boat.
If you wanna be part of the sport going forward, then eventually you're gonna have to start building the spec boat." So they said, "Okay." You know, it takes time in China. Um, so I think we gave them maybe six or seven years. Um, and, um, Mr. Luo was the, the, the very first one to come forward. Uh, and, and so once, once the Chinese have made up their mind about things, uh, then they're great.
They go- 100% for it. Is, is, is, is getting them to see A-
and, and, and we're seeing it now with the activation of what Dougie and I are doing with Paddles Ready and talking to everyone globally. Uh, you know, w- with Champion going out to all the events, he was down in New Zealand filming, in Australia, just been in France with, with Mary, uh, with the breast cancers, uh, which is phenomenal.
We'll be activating it obviously Peixing, you know, you've got the, the, the dad and the son taking over now, um, doing all different other types of manufacturing. But we love talking about paddling, we love talking about dragon boating. And, and Mike, it was a pleasure for us to have you, one, you know, you're a very hard man to get a hold of.
Mike, I ask all my guests, Mike Haslam's down. Let's r- let's go back 10 years. You d- when did you stop paddling physic- Uh, do you still paddle now?
When I can. I don't get out, you know... I always had another rule, you can't officiate and paddle at the same time. So I, I stick, stick-
You try being a podcast commentator.
Right. Yeah, can you imagine?
My question is, my question is, Mike Haslam is down on the waterfront. He has a new paddler come down. They're looking a little bit nervous. They're not sure what to do. They're not sure what advice after 45 years or 40 years, what advice do you give that new beginner, that new paddler?
I think, uh, uh, j- just to relax. Uh, they're in a team boat, so they're not on their own. Um, work with the team, learn to, to be a team player, um, and enjoy yourself. Um, it- it's as simple as that really, 'cause that is the... That to me is, is the strength of dragon boating. It's so simple to do at the beginning.
Anyone can jump in a dragon boat and in five minutes they're an expert. To be good at it is, is another issue. But to paddle a dragon boat and enjoy yourself and to race and compete, you can do it in five minutes. Um, so any young paddler, you know, get in, get in there and enjoy it. And you, you see it in festival racing.
And, and they're young. You see the, the, the, the, the boats in China, um, in, in the festivals, in the tiny little boats, and then the ice dragons, that's another story.
A couple little stories just to finish off with if you like on, on that. Uh, one, one, one is talking about nervous paddlers is, um, William and Kate.
Prince William and, and Kate Middleton.
Okay.
Um, they're dragon boaters, uh, both of them, and have been for some time. Um, and they really got back together again, um, over a dragon boat training program, a practice session in London. Uh, William went down to see Kate. Anyway, so their, their background is they've been involved in dragon boat.
When they had their, uh, trip to Canada, well- 10 years ago now, I guess. They wanted to do some dragon boating, you know, just to cement that their relationship was rekindled through the boat. And, and I was out there and, um, so I, I was gonna be the starter and with the, with two Canadian crews. And Kate had helmed a dragon boat, uh, for her crew in London.
Uh, so she was down to helm one crew and, and William was racing in the other one, paddling in the other one. Okay? So the, the- meeting the crews beforehand, uh, talking to, and she said to me she's a bit concerned. Nervous paddler, if you like, whether she could, could do this. She said, "You know, I haven't helmed in a race.
I've only ..." Said, uh, with, with the team, and that was a few years ago. So... And it's only 100 meters, uh, with this... We called it the Royal Dash, 100 meters. I said, "Don't worry about it 'cause, um, I, I knew all that and, um, the guy that's, that's sitting next to you in the back of the boat is actually the team captain, and he's the helm.
So go out, have a little practice. If you don't feel comfortable, just tap him on the shoulder, he'll switch over with you. You paddle, he'll helm. No one will know the difference, okay?" Uh, so off she went on the warm-up, and I saw them change over, so she, she, she paddled. So you had the Prince William in one boat, Kate in another boat, opposite each other paddling in this 100-meter dash.
And, um, and William's boat won, and there's some lovely pictures of him putting his arm around Kate when they came off the water. So that's the royal connection. Okay.
Bringing royalty from the Tem- the Thames to Canada and, uh, and bring them together again. I've, I, I, I've seen boats... We, we've seen many, many pictures about that.
The Royal Dash, yeah. The Royal Dash. Um, Mr. Lowe, you mentioned Mr. Lowe. Okay? First World Championships, I'm doing a recce out there before the championships. I'm walking down the side of the course, and this young guy, Chinese guy, stops me, and he's got next to him this, uh, plywood dragon boat, which is very nice.
And he says, "What do you think of my dragon boat?" And I said, "Oh, it's lovely." He said, "Can you t- can we take a picture?" So I said, "Yeah." So took a picture of me and Mr. Lo and this, this boat. Okay. On I walk. Thought nothing about it. Two years later, I get a, a, a text or the, or an email from someone in, I don't know where it was, Singapore or somewhere, saying to me, um, "Oh, he's...
I see that IDBF has approved, um, uh, uh, Champion plywood dragon boat." I said, "What are you talking about?" So he sent me a picture of this advert. It's this picture of me, uh, with, with Mr. Lo. IDBF president, uh, approves, um, Champion's dragon boat. Okay. So of course, which was true, it was a lovely boat. I said, "Yeah, it's lovely."
He wrote it as if we'd approved his boat. So I phoned him up and we had a laugh about it and he said, "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry." So ever since I've called him Mr. Sorry Sorry. So whenever we meet, I say, "Hello. Hello, Sorry Sorry," and he laughs. So that was my first, um, encounter with Mr. Champion.
He's a, he's a very good friend of the show, that's for sure.
Yes.
Well, I think that, uh, I reckon we've un- I, I reckon we've unwrapped everything that we need to. We definitely need to get Mike on down in the future later on through the year. But I think it's, uh, this has been just an hour of power.
Oh my goodness, hour of power. And, and, and like, like we al- always do, Mike, we'll see if...
You see if you pick up the Paddles Ready. Our sign-off is, like, I'm Hando.
I'm Davi. I'm Mike.
And we are- And we're paddle
ready. Paddle ready. Paddle ready.
Okay, we're still down here with Brisbane Typhoon team, and guess what it is? It's that time today. It's 60 Seconds with Dougie, and I am with...
Renee, Brisbane
Typhoon. There we go. So 60 Seconds with Dougie, the voice of paddlers on the ground. Worst excuse you've heard for someone not rocking up to training?
Sore toe. Downwind or grind? Oh,
downwind.
Early morning training or sleep in?
Early morning.
What's more important, fitness or technique?
Uh, I can't answer both. Bit of both. 50/50. 50/50 for me.
Carbon fibre or a wooden paddle? Carbon fibre all the way. Coffee before or after training? After. Biggest talker on the boat?
Oh, Paul.
Sprint or distance?
Sprint.
Beers or lemonade on a Sunday afternoon?
Lemonade always. Favorite regatta around the world you've competed
in? Today. Your one tip that instantly makes someone a better
paddler?
Confidence.
Okay, Renee. Complete this sentence: If I wasn't a paddler, I'd be-
Beautiful. And that's 60 seconds of diving
Hey, Hando, it's that time of the day Hando Hando's Hot Take
Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, that was another, mate, super, super
episode again Oh, big episode, big episode Super
episode again
Talking about, um, yeah, just the cost, the cost to go on tour, the cost to take the family Oh. It was, um, it was good fun
Well, so, so many different events as well.
This one's gonna be controversial.
Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
I'm relaxed now.
Uh, I, I'll do it. Who's stronger? Who's the stronger paddler, an outrigger or a dragon boater? Ooh. I thought you were going to say a... Who's the... I mean- Okay, that- You see the Tahitians and you see, you know, the Polynesians, and you just see them grinding and just pulling through, and when they get that technique right it looks effortless.
As I say, smooth as creamed corn. Um, then- Oh, Dougie Then you see- Smooth ... the dragon boaters, the big boys and the girls, and anyone who can get, you know, they get the technique right. Who is stronger?
Good question
Outrigger paddler or dragon boat paddler?
Look, over the years when I've seen it, um, I used to remember the Pacific Dragons way back and, and they'd come to championships in Macau in 2010, and a lot of them were outriggers put in dragon boats, and they were super strong and they dominated.
Then over the years, and we've talked about the, the, the, the cross-training and that, but- Yeah ... I think they're both strong
Mm.
100%, but some of these-
But Jesus- It, it's d- ... the outriggers look good when they're in-
It's different distances as well ... good television. Like, they're paddling 40 kilometers- Yeah ... and we're paddling two kilometers.
Yes.
But that doesn't mean that they're not strong, and I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd beg to differ that, that I think they're both strong, and they're all elite athletes, but you can still paddle strong in, in an outrigger and you can still paddle strong i-
What do you reckon a d- dragon boat paddler would say to an outrigger and what an outrigger would...
Do you reckon it'd be like- Oh,
no, let's ask, let's ask you
A little bit let's ask you. Let's ask. Who's stronger, a dragon boat paddler or an outrigger paddler?
Uh, and then, and
then- Great conversation at the pub ...
the outrigger- Paddle is in a stand-up paddle now
Yep
The stand-up paddlers might think they're stronger.
What about the Olympic K1, K4? They might think they're stronger
Well, have
a look- Who's stronger?
Have a look at my old sport, surf ski, single ski powering through a six-foot, eight-foot swell- Wow ... um, on the surf ski
I think they're all strong
The core muscles required coming down the mine on a surf ski, coming down the mine and holding the boat, trying to hold the boat.
I mean, they're, you're surf life-saving, you're Iron Man
Grant Kenny coming over the back. It's big Darrell Eastlake coming straight over the back of the waves. Kenny, Leach- So- Hayden Yes, so th- there's- Big Dougie Greville ... th- yeah, there's
another question. You throw in a, you throw in the surf lifesavers, you throw in an outrigger
Well, I put them in, remember?
Yeah, so- I put
those 30 pad- 20 paddlers in in Dubai
Yep
And they, they know it, it, it's, you're watermen Yep They're watermen. Outrigger people are watermen. Dragon boaters are watermen
Yep. Well, I think, um, we're not gonna answer it today. The- I'm not gonna ... this is a better hot take to take to the pub after a regatta.
And if you're having a water or having a beer- Beers or lemonade Beers or lemonade, big papa. Um, so yeah, we're not gonna answer it here. It's only gonna be answered maybe in a pub or under the tent at a regatta, but thanks Hando for your takeout hot take Oh, that's a
hot take
Hot take. Um, mate, great show
Super effort.
I'm Hando I'm Dougie And we are Paddles Ready Paddles Ready
Well, Hando, that's another show done
I love these shows That was a good one.
I mean, it's just a hot take It's a hot take of the hot take Now, I've got some news What's that? We're going to China
Oh.
Yes. We're taking Paddles Ready into China
Absolutely.
I, I thought we, I thought we would go, we're just leaking this news now. It's been fantastic what's gonna happen in China
Yeah, yeah. So first to find out, uh, we're taking Paddles Ready to China, mate
Oh, but, but all the federations are unbelievable 'cause they're sharing it with all their clubs- 100% ... and they're getting access to all our raw footage and podcasts, which is good.
So thanks again. Share, like, subscribe. You
know-
We love you ...
at, @paddlesready, @paddlesready. That's just for anyone who didn't hear me, @paddlesready. Um- So get out there on your socials. Um, listen to us on Spotify. I mean, we're everywhere. Hando
and I are everywhere So many things are coming up in the future.
But China, standby. Stay tuned. I'm Hando
I'm Dougie, and we're Paddles Ready
This podcast is brought to you by PodPro Australia