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'Sleddog World Championship'
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news - 09/02/2005
Sleddog World Championship  -  Slovakia

dogs breeders dog pictures by Gabor Szalanczi
VII. Sleddog World Championship Donovaly, Slovakei, 10-13th of February Donovaly, is a small village in the Slovakian mountains, about 200 kilometres from the capital city Bratilava. Here held a good sleddog racings, every year, and Donovaly’s people are very proud for it. The Féderation Internationale Sportive de Traineau a Chiens (FISTC) hold the VII. World Championship of Sleddogs, on 10th-13th of February. This was a sprint racing, the longest run was 20 kilometres only.

Donovaly, is a small village in the Slovakian mountains, about 200 kilometres from the capital city Bratilava. Here held a good sleddog racings, every year, and Donovaly’s people are very proud for it. The Féderation Internationale Sportive de Traineau a Chiens (FISTC) hold the VII. World Championship of Sleddogs, on 10th-13th of February. This was a sprint racing, the longest run was 20 kilometres only.

But the racing name was Sleddog WCH, there could to start not just with sled. If a dog pull a ski-men, called as skijoring (SKJ), if the dog (or dogs) pull a small sled and after the ski-running-men, the small sled called: pulka (SH or SD). Because in the pulka category can starting not with one dog only, but two or three, the pulka got more weights for more dogs.

The WCH were in 11 categories. The FISTC is member of the FCI, the FISTC accept only sleddog breeds on their racing, Samoyeds, Gronland Dogs, Alaskan Malamutes, and – of course – Siberian Huskies. Because the Huskies are faster than the other breeds, they started in different categories. The categories were different, in order how many dogs can pull the sled. In ski-joring one dog could entry, in pulka 1-2-3, in the Open 10, A 8, B 6, C 4, and this year first, the D category with 2 dogs. The Huskies was in the category 1, the all other breeds in the 2. So the C1 was the 4 Huskies category, the D2 means 6 dogs, per example Gronland Dogs.

The sleddog racing is very popular, there were more than 150 entries, from 16 countries, and from 23 organisations, but just from Europe. The greatest competition was in the C4 cat., there were more than 30 competitiors.

The competition was held on four different long ways, the racing area was in the hills over Donovaly, on the ways, what are on the „workdays” ski-running tracks, about 1,5 meters wide. The four long got a different names, too, the 20 kilometres long was the Hurricane, the 18km the Techno, 12 km the Step and 8km the Lambada. The SKJ, SH, SD, C and D categories were on the Lambada, B. category on the Step, A. cat. on the Techno, and the Open on the Hurricane. Because there were a lot of snow in the hills, was very dangerous to left the tracks, the man could sink in the 1-1.5 meters high snow. The starting high (over the sea level) was 972meters, the hardest way (Hurricane) high difference was more than 180 meters.

The competitors were started follow each other, the SKJ, SH, SH, C, D categories 1-1 minute, the Open, A, B category 2-2 minutes. Between the different categories were 5 minutes break. On the first day the competitors order were accidentally, on the second and third day in the order as they were better, as the fastest (in every category) could start first (as on the Paris-Dakar). From the competition was possible to disqualifying, if a competitor was slower, than the average the first three time in his category, could not start on the following day. The average speed was about 20 km/hour, the fastest of the all competition was the B1 winner, (6 with Huskies on 12 kilometres) with 25.68 km/h (average of three days times).

The sleddog-competition are very popular in Slovakia, the political leadership is supporting the competitions, with material, with publicity and politically too. The person who opened the competition was the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Mr. Mikulas Dzurinda. He was in cilvis wearing (the weather can not accept the nice suits), he was without guards, but with the Minister of Sport, too. They were more times, they took part of the Saturday night musher-party too.

The winners of the World Championship were: Jöring (SKJ cat.): Jilji Krkoska (CZ), Pulka, men (SH cat.): Ivan Sedilek (SK), Pulka, ladies (SD cat.): Berit Biewald (NL), Open: Franz Weisscher (NL), A1: Jürgen Stolz (D), B1: Stepán Krkoska (CZ, brother of the SKJ cat. winner!), B2: Andrzej Wilczopolski (PL), C1: Mateusz Surówka (PL), C2: Bernd Sauerhoffer (D), D1: Jan Mlynár (SK), D2: Petr Hubka (CZ). (The complete result list is able to see on the www.fistc.com)

The Polish C1 winner Mateusz Surówka won on the all days 4 minutes before the next competitor. The other competitors ask the organisators, control the Polish run, they think, the difference can be just from way cut only. On the second and third day was control (followed by helicopter, too!), but the organisers decided, every thing was OK. But the problem is, Matuesz is a professional sporting man. He cames from the professional running, he got salary from the polish Sport Ministry, he has a geat possibilities to buy any outfittings, or dogs. His achievement is wonderful. (Because he started in the A1 cat. Too, there he was 4.), but an interesting qieatsion. The sleddog sport is a free time sport for a sleddog like people. The FISTC is a member of the FCI, on the racings not money prize or wagers, as it means and amateur sport. There is or there will be a limit, between amateur and professional competitors?

The other big question is the pure breed questions. The FISTC agree sporting just with pure breed and sled dog breed dogs. But these breeds are stamina, but not the faster. From this reason many competitors crossing in other breeds, per example sight hound or pointing dog breeds (Greyhound, German Shorthaired Pointers, and English Pointers). On the WCH I have seen a lot of questionably dogs, few mushers said, about 80% of all dogs are not pure breed. But all dogs have a pedigree. Years before, an FCI judge controlled the dog packs, but this year not. Where is the border between an ugly Husky and a Husky-cross? On the WCH was given out the special prize for the nicest sleddog pack, got Karoly Scherer (Hungary), for his own bred dogs, now, third times.

But this competition was not any money prize, the big problem the dopping of dogs, too. From this reason the organisers got blood from the winner packs’ dogs to control. But the control means two weeks, if there were any problem we know later. In the last year was a great scandal, because the organisers said Saturday night, there will be control on Sunday, after the racing, and many (in leading position) musher step back from the competition next morning.

But the weather was not really perfect, the most of participants were satisfied when left Donovaly. The WCH maenad a really good competition, the best quality event of the sleddog sport in Europe.







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