Because of real terrorist threats, this year edition of Lisabona-Dakar rally was canceled!
This world we are living in... It is a sad sport world premiere.
"Dakar Rally cancelled over al-Qa'eda threat
By Andrew Baker
The Dakar Rally, one of the biggest events on the annual motor sport calendar, has been cancelled.
The rally, due to commence in Lisbon tomorrow, was called off by the organisers after consultation with the French government over security issues.
More than 600 vehicles and their crews had assembled in the Portuguese capital ready to set off into Africa and through the Sahara to the Senegalese capital in the 30th running of the gruelling event.
But the organising body, the ASO, announced that security concerns meant that the event could not take place.
In a statement released at noon, the ASO said: "Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists... linked to a branch of al-Qa'eda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken."
The ASO insisted that security could never be compromised, and that their first responsibility was to guarantee the safety not only of the crews taking part, but also of their support teams, the media and spectators.
The organisers condemned "the terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work" not only by themselves but by all the competitors.
The leading manufacturer teams, such as those running former world rally champion Carlos Sainz and multiple Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel, will have spent millions of pounds on development work and salaries. But they can afford to.
Harder hit will be the 80 per cent of the field who are amateurs, and who use their own funds to support their Dakar campaigns.
The Dakar rally is regarded as the "Mount Everest" of off-road racing, and in its three decades has claimed the lives of almost 50 competitors.
Mark Thatcher, the son of the then prime minister, famously became lost during the running of the rally in 1982, but was eventually recovered intact.
The rally has four categories, for cars (usually heavily modified off-road vehicles, or purpose-built "buggies"), motorbikes, trucks and quad-bikes.
Many would-be competitors will be making their way home from Lisbon wondering why the organisers could not have reached their conclusions about the security threat some months ago.
The future of the event must inevitably be called into question, given the difficulty of effectively policing the remote areas of the Sahara through which the bulk of the rally runs.
In the meantime, this looks like a sad victory for terrorism over sport".
source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
This world we are living in... It is a sad sport world premiere.
"Dakar Rally cancelled over al-Qa'eda threat
By Andrew Baker
The Dakar Rally, one of the biggest events on the annual motor sport calendar, has been cancelled.
The rally, due to commence in Lisbon tomorrow, was called off by the organisers after consultation with the French government over security issues.
More than 600 vehicles and their crews had assembled in the Portuguese capital ready to set off into Africa and through the Sahara to the Senegalese capital in the 30th running of the gruelling event.
But the organising body, the ASO, announced that security concerns meant that the event could not take place.
In a statement released at noon, the ASO said: "Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists... linked to a branch of al-Qa'eda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken."
The ASO insisted that security could never be compromised, and that their first responsibility was to guarantee the safety not only of the crews taking part, but also of their support teams, the media and spectators.
The organisers condemned "the terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work" not only by themselves but by all the competitors.
The leading manufacturer teams, such as those running former world rally champion Carlos Sainz and multiple Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel, will have spent millions of pounds on development work and salaries. But they can afford to.
Harder hit will be the 80 per cent of the field who are amateurs, and who use their own funds to support their Dakar campaigns.
The Dakar rally is regarded as the "Mount Everest" of off-road racing, and in its three decades has claimed the lives of almost 50 competitors.
Mark Thatcher, the son of the then prime minister, famously became lost during the running of the rally in 1982, but was eventually recovered intact.
The rally has four categories, for cars (usually heavily modified off-road vehicles, or purpose-built "buggies"), motorbikes, trucks and quad-bikes.
Many would-be competitors will be making their way home from Lisbon wondering why the organisers could not have reached their conclusions about the security threat some months ago.
The future of the event must inevitably be called into question, given the difficulty of effectively policing the remote areas of the Sahara through which the bulk of the rally runs.
In the meantime, this looks like a sad victory for terrorism over sport".
source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
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