AFTER competing in his fourth international dragon boat tournament and winning bronze in the Mixed 200-metre final at the second Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival on June 12-13, Jason McKay believes the fast-growing sport is ready for full Olympic recognition.

Dragon boat racing, a Chinese tradition dating back more than 2,000 years, is among the fastest-growing sports in the world. Governed by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), the sport is practised in more than 60 countries and has appeared on the Olympic stage as a demonstration sport.

Competing for McKay Security alongside athletes drawn from several sporting disciplines, McKay described dragon boat racing as “a sport that requires total teamwork, perfect technique and a great degree of strength”.

His team included four martial arts world champions, two national bodybuilding champions, a powerlifter and a Major League footballer.

McKay Security clocked 1:00.62, the fastest time ever recorded by a local mixed team, but a 15-second penalty saw them finish third behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Vanguards DBC and Jamaica Defence Force Wave Riders.

McKay, who sponsored Kenneth Edwards’ journey to become Jamaica’s first Olympic taekwondo competitor at the London 2012 Games, said the sport’s push for full Olympic recognition will depend heavily on administration and governance.

“Rules need to be clear. If an official has the right to lay whatever sanction it chooses, even superseding the capped sanction, then the rules must say this discretion is allowed. It cannot be a mystery as it relates to the rules, authority and power of the judges,” he said.

McKay was forced to take a seat in the boat during the physically demanding knockout rounds after powerlifter Oshane Wilson began to feel the effects of the competition.

“Wilson is extremely powerful but endurance is not his strong point. However, my theory remains that the most important factor is power. Technique can be taught and synchronicity will come by training.

“Should you put some of the world’s greatest sportsmen together, they can do anything as long as it’s power-based,” said McKay, who represented Jamaica in rugby as a teenager before competing nationally in martial arts.

McKay, who formed Jamaica’s combined martial arts team in 2001 and travelled extensively to compete against some of the world’s best athletes, believes dragon boat racing has significant growth potential in Jamaica.

He praised the local federation and singled out Neil Yap Sam and Dalton Yap for continuing to improve the annual event.

“The 2026 event was extremely competitor-centred, with each team getting a tent along with tables and chairs. The federation has set a new standard for the other Caribbean events to follow,” McKay said.

McKay, who also manages the Police Nationals netball team, owns three football teams in the Jamaica Football Federation’s South East region and is involved in pistol shooting as both a competitor and sponsor, said he is especially proud to have represented Jamaica in a third sporting discipline through dragon boat racing.