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NPEDC Statement Re: IFSS Long Distance Class Race

October 8, 2012
Editor and/or Contributors

2013 IFSS Winter World Championships Long Distance Class Race CancelledNorth Pole Economic Development Corporation (NPEDC), the Technical Organizer for the 2013 International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) Winter World Championships, announced today that the Long Distance Class race for the 2013 World Championships has been cancelled.Originally planned to be integrated with the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association’s (TRDMA) Two Rivers 200, the Long Distance class race has generated some, but not enough, interest from non-Alaska mushers due to the difficulty of transporting large teams and significant quantities of supplies to Alaska. In addition, some disagreement arose between TRDMA and IFSS on how IFSS’s dog care rules would be applied to long distance racing.Buzz Otis, Executive Director of NPEDC said, “TRDMA raised some valid concerns with the dog care rules as they applied to long-distance races, which IFSS had already begun to look at at the time they were raised. Unfortunately, with an international federation, and a multitude of national governing bodies involved, it can sometimes be a challenge to make rule changes within the window of time we have. All parties (NPEDC, IFSS, and TRDMA) involved decided it would be best to cancel the Long Distance race in 2013 and work to have the rules changed in time for the 2015 World Championships.”The Two Rivers 200 Race will still be held by TRDMA as regularly scheduled, though it will not be recognized as a World Championship race by IFSS.Contacts:Buzz Otis, NPEDC Executive Director – buzzotis@alaska.net / 907-322-8909Paul Brown, NPEDC Board President – paul.brown@npedc.com / 907-378-1295