Each year about 4000 dogsledding competitions are held throughout the world. Local and regional organizations oversee these races and enforce standards set by the sport’s governing body, the International Federation of Sledding Sports (IFSS). The IFSS was founded in 1984 by two other organizations, the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) of the United States and Canada, and the European Sled Dog Racing Association (ESDRA). The IFSS supervises more than 20,000 mushers and 45,000 dog teams worldwide.
The IFSS governs international competitions, such as the World Cup and the world championships, both of which include events in the four most common dogsledding classes (four-dog, six-dog, eight-dog, and unlimited). The cost and logistics of traveling overseas with dog teams, however, mean that many competitions lack a balance of international participation, and regional teams usually dominate races.
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