D-Day Of an Sport Event

Jan.4,2008 THE LISBOA- DAKAR RALLY ( originally Paris-Dakar rally),a yearly event that started few years ago here in Lisbon wherein the area of congregation is in Belem and about 5-10 minutes drive from where i live


Hubby and I prepared early morning to go to Belem to watch the participants leave Lisbon to start their adventure to Africa.Unfortunately for them,while on our way to their venue,we heard on the radio that the event was cancelled.

The dakar rally is about endurance and navigation skills of the partucipants like motorbikes,cars,trucks and quads,incliding 15 stages.The rally starts in Lisbon and ends in Dakar.

The organizer of the event has to cancel due to terrorist threat to the participants that the organizer cannot control and protect them from these threats without the help of the proper authorities especially in the areas when they cross the african villages,the forrest and the sahara desert
And it seems that the goverments in concern could not guarantee the participants safety as even their own soldiers on patrol in the desert went also into trouble and been killed and so with another incident in December last year that a French family was also killed somewhere in Mauritania i think.

It must have been a big disappointment and losses to all the participants and their sponsors when the event was cancelled but hubby and I had fun that day as you can see in the last photos,we get to take our ride to the desert too!
Myself on my own journey

And hubby showing his joy with his trophy.

Latest information i heard was that the organizers decided to change the course of the event for next year.It will no longer go to Africa but instead will start as usual here in Europe and ends in South America.