What penalties are there in dragon boat racing?
A · Advanced · Long races and discipline · 2 of 4Starters and umpires give time penalties for starts, lanes and turns. Separately, the Disciplinary Code covers conduct such as abuse: officials warn with a black flag, and the chief official can award 1 to 3 penalty points an offence. A crew with 4 points is out of that distance, and with 6 or more out of the event. Violence means disqualification.
How it works
- Time penalties: for false starts, lane faults and turns; shown as TP on results.
- No appeal: against time penalties.
- Black flag: a Disciplinary Code warning; raised again until the crew captain acknowledges.
- Abuse between crews: 1 to 3 penalty points per offence.
- Abuse of an official: at least 2 points.
- 4 points: out of that race distance.
- 6 or more: out of the rest of the event.
- Violence: disqualification of the person and the crew.
The glossary has the time penalty, the disciplinary code, the public warning, the umpire flags, the race officials and the jury and appeals.
Tricky cases
Do false-start time penalties add to disciplinary points?
No. Time penalties under rules 6 and 7 are kept out of the points total.
Can a crew appeal penalty points?
Yes, though not time penalties.
A crew deliberately capsizes its boat. What happens?
The competition committee may disqualify it from the competition.
What if a crew refuses a doping test?
The competitor is excluded from the rest of the championships.
Why the rule exists
Time penalties fix the race; points deal with behaviour. Keeping them separate stops a crew being punished twice for a racing fault.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Racing faults | Time penalties | RR 6, 7; DC 7 |
| Conduct | Penalty points | DC 8 |
| Violence | Disqualification | DC 12 |
From the rule book
IDBF, Rules of Racing (Part 2 of the Competition Regulations and Rules of Racing, Edition 9.0, 2025), rules 4.1, 4.2, 7.8, 7.9 and the Disciplinary Code, paragraphs 5 to 12. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IDBF Competition Regulations and Rules of Racing.