Dear Members,
With the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the world we all face a new way of living. The pandemic has also had an unforeseen impact on the world of sport including the sled dog sport, forcing us to adapt to the new environment we now all live in.
The Board of the WSA is pleased to announce that the 2021 On-Snow World Championship will be the first joint WSA/IFSS event and is scheduled to take place in Ramundberget and Åsarna (Sweden).
The WSA will organize the championship for all purebred classes Sprint and Mid-Distance in Ramundberget from 10-13 March 2021. The IFSS will organize the all breed Skidog and Sled Sprint and Mid-Distance disciplines in Åsarna from 10-14 March 2021. Ramundberget and Åsarna are located in the same region of Sweden. The travelling time between the two race sites is less than two hours.
The IFSS 2021 On-Snow World Championship was scheduled to take place in North America but due to the organizers withdrawing their bid to host the championship, regrettably, this plan could not be executed.
Looking for a new venue, the IFSS was presented with the opportunity to join forces with the WSA and to trial a joint championship – one part for purebred dogs and one part for all breed dogs.
The WSA has planned the event in Ramundberget since 2018. For the IFSS the decision to use the excellent trails in Åsarna was easy to approve. Åsarna offers first class trails for both Skidog and Sled disciplines. Both Ramundberget and Åsarna are very snow secure areas with early snow coverage, which makes for great trail preparation.
No one can predict what will happen during the next months when it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic. We might face new travel restrictions worldwide and other regulations that will affect how sport events can be organized. Therefore, the WSA and IFSS will make their final decision on whether the 2021 On-Snow World Championship can go ahead by 1 December 2020.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and we hope to see many of you in November in Lamotte-Beuvron at the WSA Dryland World Championships,
The WSA Board