World Cup 
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International Federation of Sleddog Sports, Inc. World Cup Series What is World Cup? World Cup is a designation used by Olympic and International Sports Federations (IFs) to ascribe a worldwide ranking system for their sports participants. In a given year, IFs set up a World Cup Series of competitive events through which participants earn points and are subsequently ranked on a worldwide basis according to their performance in these premier events. What is IFSS World Cup? The IFSS World Cup is sled dog racing’s tool for establishing an international competition ranking format. This in turn allows mushers and races participating in World Cup to enjoy a greater level of prestige and encourage mushing at all levels in the communities in which these events take place. IFSS is the only organization able to offer the structure for mushers to participate in a worldwide program within the Olympic circle. Currently IFSS conducts World Cup events in sprint, distance (mid distance and long distance), Nordic pulka and skijoring, and dryland dog powered sports. What are the Benefits of IFSS World Cup? Any musher competing in any World Cup event is automatically included in the points structure. One does not need to join anything. Simply by finishing in a race a musher will earn the prescribed number of points. To the Mushers: • Mushers become eligible for both regional and international monetary awards, which account for 70% of accreditation fees collected from participating events. • World Cup also allows mushers to compete in a world arena against racers in other regions without cost prohibitive overseas travel. This means that, for instance, European mushers winning World Cup points in Alaska would be regional medalists in Europe. • The top three medalists in each region in each class pre-qualify for IFSS World Championships. They thereby become eligible for travel assistance monies. This also means that they do not have to compete for, nor do they count against, their national team’s allocated slots to the WCh. • Due to its popularity among other sports, World Cup format carries a certain prestige that could translate to increased sponsorship opportunities for mushers and World Cup events. • World Cup brings prestige to participating mushers in that they have an opportunity to compete with top-level mushers who are drawn by the status of a World Cup event. To the Mushing Sport: • World Cup provides support for the development and future of the sport. Twenty percent of all race accreditation fees goes toward sport development and sports medicine. To this end, over $6000 has been contributed in the form of grants to worthy projects, much of it going to the ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association) for research on “ski asthma” and gastric ulcers in Iditarod dogs. • The World Cup is organized along the lines of all other Olympic world sports and is part of the way other sports promote themselves. • World Cup events allow a forum for those who wish to advance in the competitive sporting sphere. • World Cup gives the opportunity to have a positive influence on the ongoing evolution and development of sled dog sports in a given region. • World Cup is an ongoing step in the process to develop sled dog sports as an Olympic discipline. To the Community: • World Cup is an opportunity for a community to be involved in a prestigious regional or international event, bringing recognition locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. • A World Cup event brings money into a community and region because of the number of competitors that it draws who will benefit from the services of the community. To Sponsors: • World Cup events are a high profile activity that brings in media coverage. This is advantageous to a sponsor. • Sponsoring monies are being used to promote a healthy life style, a concept that is very much front and center in today’s world. • Sponsors are playing a role in promoting the development of winter sports activities for the professional athlete as well as for the general public and recreational participants, thus supporting the ideals of the International Olympic Committee’s “Sport for All” philosophy. Act Now! IFSS invites race giving organizations to apply for their race to be designated a World Cup event in Distance, Mid Distance, Sprint, Nordic (skijoring and pulka), and Dryland competitions. Early application/approval affords the race to be advertised well in advance as an accredited World Cup event, thus allowing more time to attract sponsors and mushers. For more information on becoming a World Cup event, go to www.sleddogsport.com or email IFSS Secretary General Sally Bair ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ). Now is the time to act! IFSS World Cup Events IFSS conducts World Cup competitions in the three major disciplines of dog-powered sports: 1.Nordic: men’s and women’s skijoring and pulka 2.Nome/Sled: sprint (4-dog, 6-dog, 8-dog, Unlimited Classes), mid-distance, long distance 3.Dryland: cart/rig, bikejoring, scooter, canicross |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 20 April 2009 ) |