Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Crufts dog show returns after Covid break, Brexit

Crufts dog show returns after Covid break, Brexit

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Winner of 2020 Best in Show: Maisie the Wire Haired Dachshund, held by owner Kim McCalmont at the trophy presentation on the final day of the 2020 Crufts dog show. AFP

Crufts dog show returns after Covid break, Brexit

Tens of thousands of dogs and their owners are expected for the return of the world’s biggest dog show on Thursday, as Crufts makes a comeback after a two-year absence.

The last edition was in March 2020, just before Britain locked down as coronavirus swept the globe and before the country geared up to leave the EU after Brexit.

More than 20,000 dogs are due to attend the four-day event competing on looks, obedience and agility at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, in central England.

But Russian dog owners and their animals have been banned from attending after organisers at The Kennel Club condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“In the light of rapidly evolving circumstances, it is with a heavy heart we have taken the decision not to allow exhibitors from Russia to compete at Crufts 2022,” it said.

The decision affects about 30 Russian owners and breeders and 51 dogs that had been due to participate in the show, which was first held in 1891.

“Our friends in Ukraine, and their dogs, are fearing for their lives and we will do all that we can to support them wherever possible,” The Kennel Club added.

It is donating £50,000 (60,000 euros, $66,000) to help partner organisations in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary help breeders, owners and their dogs affected by the conflict.

Some 150,000 people attended Crufts in 2020, but this year organisers are expecting smaller crowds.

“Following an uncertain few years, we were anticipating lower entry numbers owing to both changes to pet travel in the aftermath of Brexit, as well as the impact of the pandemic, with many people being unable to travel, particularly those from overseas, or being unable to commit to travel at this time,” the Kennel Club told AFP.

Some 16,000 dogs from 38 countries are in the running to bag seven spots for the prestigious “Best in Show” finale, which will be decided on Sunday evening.

Of those, just over 1,800 are from overseas – well down on the more than 3,000 foreign entrants in various competitions in the show two years ago.

Since the UK’s full departure from the EU in January last year, European visitors – and their pets – are subject to more stringent entry requirements.

The winner of the 2020 Best in Show was Maisie, a wire-haired dachshund.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Struggling Battambang artist dreams of staging full-scale gallery exhibition

    Leav Kimchhoth, a 55-year-old artist from Battambang province, is a familiar face to locals and tourists alike on the streets of the riverside in Phnom Penh. The one-armed painter and illustrator often hawks his work near the night market on weekends and public holidays. He

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom