Written by Sally O’Sullivan Bair Monday, 13 April 2009Monticello, Minnesota USA – IFSS (International Federation of Sleddog Sports) is proud to announce that Norway has been selected as the site of the 2011 IFSS Winter World Championships. Events will include all the winter categories of sled dog competition: Nordic style and Nome (sled) sprint, mid-distance, and long distance. Nordic classes and Nome sprint 4- and 8-dog classes will take place at the Holmenkollen National Ski Arena in Oslo March 10-13, 2011. Holmenkollen is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Norway and an icon within international sports venues. It is presently undergoing renovations for the 2011 FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski) World Championships, including new design of all trails. It is anticipated that remodeling will be completed in 2010.Hamar Hundekjører Arena will be the site for the Nome sprint 6-dog, sprint unlimited and mid-distance class events, scheduled for March 18-20, 2011. Hamar, located 130 km north of Oslo or 90 km from the Oslo airport, is a specially designed race site for sled dog racing and was host to the 2006 and 2007 European Championships.The town of Røros and the Femundløpet Race Organization will host the long distance race February 3-10, 2011. Røros is approximately 400 km north of Oslo and is one of the oldest towns of wooden buildings in Europe. As such, it has found a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Femundløpet race has a 20-year history, with 150 entries in 2009. There will be two classes: the 12-dog, 600 km event and the 8-dog, 400 km event.IFSS president Bengt Pontén (Sweden) commented that “I’m very happy about having Norway host the 2011 competition, and I look forward to working with the various entities that will be acting in concert to make this event a huge success. Norway has a long and illustrious tradition of dog sledding.”IFSS congratulates Norway and anticipates working with Norges Hundekjørerforbund (NHF), Femundløpet, Harmar, and Holmenkollen for presenting this prestigious occasion.
