Crufts cancelled for first time in more than 60 years amid coronavirus pandemic

The last time the dog show was cancelled was in 1954
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The Crufts 2021 dog show has been cancelled for the first time in more than 60 years due to “ongoing uncertainty” from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kennel Club said that the global event due to take place from July 18 to 15 this year, has been postponed until 2022.

“This is owing to ongoing uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in consideration for the health and safety of all its volunteers, judges, exhibitors, sponsors, trade stand holders, visitors and staff,” said the Kennel Club in a statement online.

According to a survey commissioned by the club, 60 per cent of those in the canine world said they would like to get back to their dog activities as soon as it was safe to do so.

But 63 per cent said they did not feel comfortable or were unsure about attending an inside event in the near future.

Crufts chairman Tom Mather said: “We are very disappointed that we have had to cancel Crufts for the first time since 1954, in what would have been its 130th anniversary year, and it is a decision we have not taken lightly.

“We have tried desperately hard to make this year’s show happen, including the decision we took last November to postpone the event to July. However, of course this was before we were hit by the devastating second wave of the pandemic.

Crufts past winners - In pictures

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“When this decision was taken, we were optimistic that the situation would be such that the show could be held.

“However we appreciated that there was a possibility that holding the show in the summer under certain restrictions could also, in some respects, do the show a disservice. We were disappointed that, even though we carried over the qualification from 2020, we would still be limited on our entry numbers and wouldn’t be able to welcome as many dogs back as we would have liked.

“It would also be regrettable that there was a strong possibility that many of the popular events and features of the show, such as obedience, the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, Young Kennel Club ring and Discover Dogs, would not have been able to be included under the restrictions which could be imposed.

“Finally, in light of recent announcements and the emergence of a third wave of coronavirus in Europe, it was looking extremely unlikely that both our overseas judges and exhibitors would be able to attend.”

The Kennel Club said further discussions will take place regarding the impact of the cancellation of the dog show and the qualification criteria for Crufts 2022 for all disciplines.

Crufts is expected to return next year from March 10 to 13.

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