Reindeer racing thrills spectators in Finland’s cold north near the Russian border

Salla, Finland — Traditional reindeer racing that has been delighting spectators in Finland for decades brought hundreds of fans to the Salla Reindeer Cup in the cold town of Salla last weekend.

Despite extremely cold temperatures and a remote++

The competition attracted about 1,000 people to a location near the Russian border, approximately 264 kilometres (164 mi) northeast of the city of Oulu.

They watched and rejoiced as deer galloped down snow-covered tracks, dragging their handlers behind them on skis. Whoever is fastest will win the race.

The spectators came not only from Finland but also from other countries, including Italy, Norway, Germany, and France.

Reindeer herding has been an important part of Scandinavian culture for many decades, especially for the Sami indigenous people in the far north of the country. 3……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Salla has a long history in reindeer racing – it has been running here since the 1950s,” said Lasse Atsinki, head of the Salla Reindeer Cup. “At that time, people spent the winter in the forest; there were no snowmobiles. At the end of winter, the reindeer were in excellent shape, so they started racing them.”

These days, reindeer racing is an organised, regulated competition with trained male reindeer.

The premiere event was the so-called Hot Series, in which reindeer qualified if they raced around a kilometre-long (just over half a mile) track in 1 minute, 19 seconds or less. Only the fastest reindeer get a chance to participate in this race.

“It’s a science. A lot depends on the reindeer’s character – he has to endure a lot: spectators, other reindeer, noise, and movement,” Atsinki said. “Everyone has his own tricks – and they’re usually kept under a fur hat. Every boss has his own way.”

During the race, the crowd encouraged their favourites by chanting “Hyiva, hyiva” and “Mene, “mene”—which are Finnish for “good, good” and “go, “go”—as the reindeer ran down the final stretch.

In between races, people kept themselves warm with reindeer soup and kampanisu, Salla’s traditional local pastry speciality.

The competition concluded with a final round on Sunday and a reindeer named Pompom won the final race.

Hannu Kruppula, owner of the winning animal, said, “Pompom is exceptionally fast and smart, and you rarely find one like that.”

He added, “If there’s a weakness, it’s that it’s not very good-looking – which can be misleading.”

“When you look at that deer, you might immediately think it’s poorly fed or something. But it eats well. That’s a rare one.”

And so after the race, Pompom and all the other reindeer got their reward – lichen, their favourite treat.