Controversy mires Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as the sport confronts its first doping scandal while competition kicks off in Alaska

  • The mushing world is facing a potentially devastating crisis after a banned substance found in four dogs from a top team 
  • At the center of the storm is four-time champion Dallas Seavey, whose dogs tested positive for a banned painkiller called opioid tramadol 
  • Seavey denies the allegations, saying he would never administer anything harmful to his beloved animals
  • The event launched with a 'ceremonial start' on Saturday, when the streets of downtown Anchorage are bombarded with sled dogs and spectators 
  • In the wake of the controversy, Seavey said that he is skipping this year's Iditarod and competing in a Norwegian race taking place at the same time 

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicked offed in the shadow of a recent doping scandal that has mired the sport since last year. 

For mushers and the Iditarod Trail Committee, which governs the competition, it is the first race to be launched since doping questions arose about four-time champion Dallas Seavey and his dog-sled team.   

In October, four of Seavey's dogs tested positive for a banned painkiller called opioid tramadol.

Dallas Seavey (Pictured) sits under the burled arch in Nome, Alaska to win the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Dallas Seavey (Pictured) sits under the burled arch in Nome, Alaska to win the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

The mushing world is facing a potentially devastating crisis after a banned substance found in four dogs from a top team

The mushing world is facing a potentially devastating crisis after a banned substance found in four dogs from a top team

Seavey adamantly denies administering any banned substances, telling Alaska Public Media that he would never do anything harmful to his beloved animals.

'I am probably the only person on the planet who can say one hundred percent definitively that I did not give this to my dogs,' Seavey said in a recent interview.   

The Iditarod is an annual long-distance sled dog race that runs in early March from Willow to Nome. The race began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race.

The race runs along two routes spanning 352 miles. The northern route is run on even-numbered years, and the south route is ran on odd numbered years.     

 The 'ceremonial start' of this year's race was launched on Saturday with the streets of downtown Anchorage being bombarded with sled dogs and spectators.

Feinix from Joar Leifseth Ulsom's team during preparations for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod dog sled race in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. March 3

Feinix from Joar Leifseth Ulsom's team during preparations for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod dog sled race in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. March 3

The race arrives at the end of the city's annual Fur Rondy, according to NPR, a week of festivities that traces its origins back to a yearly rendezvous among fur trappers when their goods were sold on the open streets.  

Seavey, 30, admitted that the timing of the controversy was not ideal, but places the blame for the positive drug tests on the Iditarod's board of directors.

In a 17-minute video posted online just as the scandal was breaking, Seavey lashed out at the governing body for bungling the investigation and hurting his reputation in the process. 

Seavey, however, doesn't dispute that his animals tested positive for the tramadol, only that he was not the one who administered the drug. 

'I want to find out, and I think this is the type of stuff the Iditarod should be looking into,' Seavey said.  

The long-time musher notes that he has not been reprimanded by the Iditarod Trail Committee. He has not been asked to return any of his prize money nor had any of his finishing times vacated from the record books and is presumed innocent of breaking any rules.

At the center of the storm is four-time champion Dallas Seavey, whose dogs tested positive for a banned painkiller called opioid tramadol

At the center of the storm is four-time champion Dallas Seavey, whose dogs tested positive for a banned painkiller called opioid tramadol

Seavey also says that as an experienced competitor, never in his wildest imagination would he give his dogs a drug that could be so easily detectable.  

'I believe this was given to my dogs maliciously,' Seavey says. 'I think that's the most likely option.' 

'The Iditarod can try to run me over, they can try to throw me under the bus,' he added.  

The saboteur's theory is not unheard of in the sport, according to APM, which notes that mushers can imagine a competitor, disgruntled handler, rival fan or an anti-mushing animal-rights group being behind a plot. 

In the wake of the controversy, Seavey said that he was skipping this year's Iditarod and competing in a Norwegian race taking place at the same time. 

'I will not subjugate myself to this board, the only authority they have over me is when I choose to compete in this race,' Seavey explained. 

'The feeling from the board is that they can do whatever they want. The mushers will kick and scream, but come March we will be at the start. So I'm saying 'no,' I will not be at the start.'   

In the wake of the controversy, Seavey said that he is skipping this year's Iditarod and competing in a Norwegian race taking place at the same time (Pictured: Seavey responding to doping allegations in home video)

In the wake of the controversy, Seavey said that he is skipping this year's Iditarod and competing in a Norwegian race taking place at the same time (Pictured: Seavey responding to doping allegations in home video)

Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey, from Willow, Alaska, races from Safety to Nome and the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey, from Willow, Alaska, races from Safety to Nome and the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Compounding the Iditarod's challenges is also a push by former finishers of the race to oust ITC's current leadership, saying the competition needs major reforms if companies are to remain comfortable financing it.

Earlier this year, members of the Iditarod Official Finisher's Club sent a letter to the board accusing ITC President Andy Baker of mismanagement and conflicts of interest they claim are jeopardizing the whole sport.  

Alaskan musher Jim Lanier's dog team is all smiles during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 3, 2018

Alaskan musher Jim Lanier's dog team is all smiles during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Saturday, March 3, 2018

Baker was recently voted to stay in charge of the race in an unanimous decision, securing his position for the time being.  

'Everybody wants the race to do better,' Baker told reporters after the ITC board vote. 

'Our whole focus is we want to have a safe race. We want dogs to be safe, we want mushers to be safe, and we want a successful race that's good for Alaska.' 

Activists are also taking issue with the competition's treatment of animals participating in the event. 

Leading the charge is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, who claim that the race is inherently abusive and cites past incidents where dogs have died while running in the competition. 

'One of the biggest lies that the Iditarod community has tried to sell the public is that these dogs aren't like the dogs we share our homes with, and it's not true,' said PETA spokesperson Colleen O'Brien.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals set up a demonstration prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, March 3, 2018

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals set up a demonstration prior to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, March 3, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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