Tarazet

October 24, 2004

Dog-Sled Races in England

Yeah, I was surprised to find out they had them there, too. But due to lack of funding, it's becoming an endangered sport there. From the Strathspey & Badenoch Herald:


ORGANISERS of Britain's largest dog sled race have warned that next year could be the last time the event will be held in Aviemore because of funding problems.

More than 200 teams from across the UK take part in the annual rally staged in January which has been held in Aviemore for the past 20 years.

But members of The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain, which organises the event, say they may have to look to relocating the races elsewhere because of a lack of sponsorship.

Club secretary Penny Evans said: "Basically we are skint and desperate for funding assistance."

It is estimated that the three to four days of sleddog racing helps to inject more than £1 million into the local economy, and the husky club claims it is second only to Crufts in terms of media interest.

The races staged at Glenmore Forest at the outset of this year were beamed into millions of homes with on the hour coverage from Sky Sport.

The rally has mushroomed since 12 sled dog teams first competed in Aviemore in 1984 and it has since become a mainstay of the tourism calendar.

However, organisers have been struggling with funding the event since the main sponsors, Spillers Petfood, pulled out of not only the races but the sport itself four years ago when they were taken over by bigger rivals.


Apparently they are as avid about it over there as we are here in America. It's a shame they can't raise the funds. I would think that the towns where it is held would realize how much tourism dollars come in and corral the local merchants into kicking in. Or kicking in more. And why can't they find a deep-pocket sponsor (such as another pet food company) to replace Spillers?

Posted by Jeff Soyer at October 24, 2004 10:37 PM
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