Verneri is Finland’s fastest reindeer. With his jockey Janne Alatalo he took first place on Sunday in the popular race at the Poro Cup in Inari. It took the two of them one minute and 35.26 seconds to cover the distance of one kilometer – in a mild six degrees Celsius, which sometimes caused slush on the route.
14 reindeer and their jockeys had taken part in the season finale of the increasingly popular arctic sport. The jockeys are pulled by the reindeer on skis for a kilometer around an oval. The spectacle attracted hundreds of spectators.
The penultimate weekend of the exciting PoroCup 2023 reindeer races will take place in Kuusamo on Saturday and Sunday: https://t.co/j7nx5Na4tY More information about the Kuusamo region in Finnish Lapland: https://t.co/gu4JEpjjQ3 pic.twitter.com/8F8bMnkRi1
— Discover Finland (@DiscoverFinland) March 24, 2023
According to the president of the Finnish reindeer herding association Suomen Porokilpailijat, Seppo Koivisto, reindeer races have been held in Finland since the 1950s. The racing animals are professionally trained during the winter season. From spring to autumn they live freely in the forest.
The sport has “developed enormously” in recent years, according to Koivisto. “There are currently 700 reindeer on the list.” The races have also caught the attention of tourists. “The exoticism also seems to be of interest to foreign visitors who happen to be here in Lapland,” Koivisto said. (t-online/afp)
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I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
