2021 Toyota 1000 Desert Race postponed
The South African Cross Country Series (SACCS) and Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), in consultation with their stakeholders, have announced that the 2021 Toyota 1000 Desert Race (TDR 1000) has been called off.
SACCS announced, following a recent virtual meeting, that the decision to postpone the 2021 TDR 1000 had been taken due to the uncertainty posed by the surge of Covid-19 cases in the region as well as the discovery of the new Covid-19 variant. “
“This decision was not taken lightly and was influenced by the rapid increase of active Covid-19 cases across South Africa in the last few weeks, the resurgence of the virus globally, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
“The logistics and infrastructure requirements for the TDR 1000 are enormous, and considering the severe impact of the 2020 world pandemic on economies, health and personal fronts, combined with the unpredictability of the near future, we believe this to be a responsible decision,” said SACCS chief executive officer, Archie Rutherford.
“This is a very sad occasion and this is hard for the thousands of fans and spectators that support the TDR 1000, and for the many large and small community enterprises that benefit from the event. We have never been exposed to anything like this, and right now it is very important that we do whatever it takes to reduce the spread of the virus, protect vulnerable people and save lives,” said Myra
Sekgororoane, chief executive officer BTO. The Toyota 1000 Desert Race, the biggest sporting event in Botswana, is not lost to the numerous competitors who relish the challenge of this three-day, 1 000-kilometre marathon event, or the thousands of spectators that line the route – this is merely an unforeseen hiatus.
Images: Nadia Jordaan
