This is the cold shower for the volunteers of the cynodrome of Liverdy-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne). The France Championship was scheduled to take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May. Several facilities have been prepared for the races, including 30 tons of additional sand have been dumped on the track to make it optimal.
"The championship is cancelled. The field is completely flooded, these are the vagaries of outdoor sports. The competition will take place at a later date," says Christiane Cusquel, secretary and volunteer of the greyhound club of Liverdy-En-Brie.
The president of the greyhound club of Liverdy-en-Brie, Didier Clairon (top of the photo) gives the latest guidelines for this weekend's France championship. Unfortunately, the event is postponed due to bad weather. LP/AymericFigueiredo
Inaugurated in 1994, the last cynodrome in Île-de-France will later host the Greyhound France Championship for the third time in its history. The 83 canine athletes as well as the 51 owners from all over France and even Belgium, were to compete all weekend. "Anticipate, always anticipate... Especially since all the France will come," confided a volunteer of the association.
"If they don't want to run, we never force"
The championship was to be supervised by the Central Canine Society and the Canine Society of Ile de France as well as the National Commission for the Use of Greyhounds. "There will be two race judges, five in total for the event, two secretaries, four turn observers as well as the essential and mandatory presence of those responsible for mistreating dogs," jointly ensure Didier Clairon, president of the club, and secretary Christiane Cusquel.
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It is a drastic training that confirms Catherine Fernandez, ex-recordwoman in 2004 with her dog Raptor. "It's 3 to 4 km of walking per day. It works the breath but also the endurance. They only run on the track," she explains.
If the training is comparable to that of a top athlete, their diet is quite common. "It depends on the owners. It is either adapted kibble or fresh meat. Let's not forget that some dogs can almost reach 72 km/h! They can be compared to cheetahs," says José Fernandez.
