Mushing Canada is announcing the selection process for Canadian mushers to compete at the 2011 International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) World Championships in Norway.

From: Mushing Canada

With this release, Mushing Canada is announcing the selection process for Canadian mushers to compete at the 2011 International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) World Championships in Norway.  It is urgent that mushers wishing to qualify take note and plan accordingly for their upcoming 2010 race season.

  To qualify for participation at the 2011 IFSS World Championships in Norway, Canadian mushers must endeavour to collect as many World Cup points as possible during the 2010 racing season.  A letter is being sent to all the race giving organizations (RGOs) we are aware of, requesting that RGOs sanction their races as World Cup events this season.  We hope that this will result in a reasonable distribution of sanctioned races across the country that Canadian mushers can attend to maximize their chances for qualification.  We request that mushers wishing to qualify, or who would like to see the World Cup system grow, actively make their wishes known to RGOs.  As RGOs applications for sanctioning are approved we will be advertising them on the Mushing Canada website (www.mushing.ca).


Details about qualifying for IFSS world championship participation:

IFSS governance is organized by regions and national federations.  Some regions contain several countries.  However, due to its size and number of mushers Canada is a region unto itself.  IFSS rules dictate that 3 mushers per class automatically qualify for participation in world championship events by finishin in the top 3 of their class in their IFSS region.  Additionally, national federations may nominate another 3 mushers per class from their country.  Since Canada is both a region and a country that means that 6 Canadians per class may qualify to participate in world championship events.  The criteria by which national federations nominate the 3 per class is at the discretion of the national federation.  Mushing Canada will be piggy backing on the World Cup system in order to qualify participants for the 2011 world championships.  In other words the top 6 Canadian mushers per class will qualify through world cup points accumulated through the 2010 winter racing season.  The top World Cup finishers are irreplacable i.e. if one of the top three cannot or chooses not to attend the world championships, their position is forfeited.  However, it is Mushing Canada's goal to maximize Canadian participation at these events. So, if any of the 4th, 5th, or 6th place finishers cannot or choose not to attend their position may be offered to the 7th place World Cup finisher (and so on down the list) if they are deemed to be a suitable candidate.

Please return to the website from time to time and look under the "Racing" link on the sidebar for more information about the 2011 World Championships and qualification process.