Reindeer racing king crowned in Arctic tournament

INARI

Finland crowned its reindeer racing king on April 9 when 14 reindeer and jockeys competed for the title in the season's final match of the increasingly popular Arctic sport.

Wearing skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometer around an oval against the clock in the northern town of Inari.

Reindeer Verneri and jockey Janne Alatalo came out on top in one minute and 35.26 seconds, in mild six-degree Celsius (43 Fahrenheit) weather that made for slushy snow conditions at times.

Reindeer races have been organized in Finland since the 1950s, according to Seppo Koivisto, president of the country's reindeer racers' association Suomen Porokilpailijat, which organizes competitions.

"This is a hobby for those involved in reindeer herding. The animals are usually reindeer herders' reindeer," Koivisto said.

Racing reindeer are trained professionally during the winter season. From spring to autumn, they live freely in the forest.

Koivisto said the sport has "developed enormously in recent years."