For the women of Cape Town’s amaBele Belles, dragon boating is about far more than sport.
The breast cancer survivor team says paddling has become a source of strength, friendship, support and recovery for women navigating life during and after a cancer diagnosis.
The team was established in Cape Town in March 2006 and remains the only breast cancer survivor dragon boat team in Africa.
This month, 15 members and supporters will travel to Aix-les-Bains in France to take part in the 2026 International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (IBCPC) Festival from Monday, August 24 to Sunday, August 30.
Ten of the travelling members are breast cancer survivors and will compete in the 200m and 500m races on Lac du Bourget, France’s largest natural glacial lake.
Team member Lorraine Innes said the physical benefits of dragon boating were first highlighted in 1996, when Canadian sports medicine physician Dr Don McKenzie proposed that upper-body exercise through paddling could help improve movement, strengthen the chest wall and assist with managing lymphoedema.
Since then, breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams have formed around the world.
“Each member has dealt with a frightening, life-changing diagnosis and coped, gaining fitness but also finding understanding, support and the strength to take control of their lives,” Innes said.
More than a sport for breast cancer survivors
For amaBele Belles, which means “breast ladies” in isiXhosa, the emphasis is on making sure no woman has to face that journey alone.
Team member, Sue Gie said the team was established to encourage women who have undergone, or are still undergoing, treatment for breast cancer.
“It was found that exercise is a fun way to build up energy, strength, health and general well-being, both on and off the boat as a team,” she said.
Dragon boating itself is a highly collaborative sport.
A racing boat carries 18 paddlers seated two abreast, with a trained helm steering from the back and a drummer at the front helping the team maintain its rhythm, she said.
Gie said that sense of teamwork is an important part of what makes the sport meaningful to the Belles.
“Best of all, you are never alone,” she said.
Over the past two decades, the team has welcomed and lost members for a variety of reasons, including women who have died from breast cancer.
The team continues to remember those members through a flower ceremony on the water.
Representing Cape Town on the international stage
The upcoming festival in France will bring together close to 5,000 participants from around the world.
Gie said the amaBele Belles travelling to France had also received support from members who would not be making the trip.
“Our team travelling has the support of those not going by encouraging and training them on the water to go and do their best,” she said.
For Lindie Law, joining the team became a significant part of her own recovery after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Law said she had never heard of dragon boating before receiving a small pink pamphlet about the amaBele Belles in a chemotherapy room.
“I had no idea what an impact on my recovery, and indeed on my life, the amaBele Belles would have,” she said.
The Belles are also using their platform to raise awareness about breast cancer, highlight the importance of early detection, and encourage others to become part of the team.
“There is support and room on our boat for you. Don’t be shy, come and try, and hopefully you will stay, laugh, and have fun,” said Gie.
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