China News Service, March 8th. According to the US "World Daily" report, on the 8th local time, the world-famous Edita Rhodes dog sled race will be held in Alaska, USA, with 57 teams participating. The past 20 years The second least contestant. However, there are still five former champions participating, adding suspense to the game.
Data Map: On March 6, 2016, local time, the Edita Rhodes Dog Sled Contest started in Alaska.
It is reported that in recent years, people's interest in this annual cross-country dog sled racing has declined, partly because the cash reward has become less and it is difficult for participants to continue to participate in this expensive sport. In order to attract popularity, the game will add betting elements for the first time in 2020, betting $ 10, you can bet on who the winner is.
"Like many sports, we need to get more attention," said Editarod CEO Ulbach.
It is reported that the organizer held an event in Anchorage on the 7th to allow fans to take photos with the participating crows and more than 800 dogs in the town. The official match will officially begin in Willow north of Anchorage on the 8th.
The contestants will cross the two mountains and the frozen Yukon River with 14 sled dogs. After the ice and snow obstacles, they will finally reach the destination of the former "gold rush town" Nome. The total distance is about 1868 kilometers and takes 8 to 15 minutes. day.
Data Map: On March 6, 2016, local time, the Edita Rhodes Dog Sled Contest started in Alaska.
It is reported that there will be five previous champions participating in 2020, including four-time champions Bath and McGee, and third-time champion Sylvie. The 2019 champion Kaiser will also try to defend the title.
Kaiser, 32, believes that the decline in the number of entrants in recent years may only be cyclical, because after one year of competition, they must try to accumulate enough funds to participate in the next competition.
According to reports, sponsorship is very important for skiers and the overall financial situation of the competition. In 2020, sponsors specifically emphasize that participating dogs will receive quality care in an attempt to quell criticism from animal maintainers. However, PETA still accuses the organizers of being cruel and ruthless towards participating dogs.
For years, PETA has been urging major event sponsors to give up sponsorship. The organization announced this week that Alaska Airlines will cancel sponsorship after the 2020 race. The company said the cancellation of the sponsorship was a change in corporate strategy and had nothing to do with PETA.