SALLA, Finland (AP) 鈥� Traditional reindeer racing that’s been delighting spectators for decades in Finland brought hundreds of fans to the Salla Reindeer Cup in the town of Salla this past weekend.
Around 1,000 people attended the competition, despite frigid subfreezing temperatures and the remote location near the Russian border, roughly 264 kilometers (164 miles) northeast of the city of Oulu.
They watched and cheered as galloped across the snow-covered track, pulling their handlers behind them on skis. Whoever is fastest wins the race.
Spectators came not only from Finland but also Italy, Norway, Germany and France, among other countries.
Reindeer husbandry has been an important part of Scandinavian culture for many decades, especially for the in the far north of .
鈥淪alla has a long history in reindeer racing 鈥� it鈥檚 been going on here since the 1950s,鈥� said Lasse Aatsinki, the head of Salla Reindeer Cup. 鈥淏ack then, men spent winters in the forest, there were no snowmobiles. In late winter, the reindeer were in great shape, so they started racing them.鈥�
These days, reindeer racing is an organized and regulated competition with trained male reindeer.
The premiere event was the so-called hot series, in which reindeer qualify if they race the kilometer-long (just over a half-mile) track in 1 minute, 19 seconds, or less. Only the fastest reindeer get to compete in this race.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a science. A lot depends on the reindeer鈥檚 character 鈥� it has to tolerate a lot: the audience, other reindeer, noise, movement,鈥� Aatsinki said. 鈥淓veryone has their tricks 鈥� and they鈥檙e usually kept under the fur hat. Every owner has their own way.鈥�
During the race, crowds cheered their favorites on with calls of 鈥渉yv盲, hyv盲鈥� and 鈥渕ene, mene鈥� 鈥� which is Finnish for 鈥済ood, good鈥� and 鈥済o, go鈥� 鈥� as the reindeer sprinted down the final stretch.
In between races, people kept warm with reindeer soup and kampanisu, a traditional local pastry specialty from Salla.
The competition culminated Sunday with the final rounds and it was reindeer named Pompom which won the final race.
鈥淧ompom is exceptionally fast and smart, and you rarely find one like that,鈥� said Hannu Krupula, the winning animal’s owner.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 any weakness, it鈥檚 that it鈥檚 not very good-looking 鈥� which can be misleading,鈥� he added.
鈥淲hen you look at that reindeer, you might quickly think it鈥檚 poorly fed or something. But it eats well. It鈥檚 a rare individual.鈥�
And thus after the race, Pompom and all the other reindeer got their own reward 鈥� lichen, a symbiotic, colorful organism that grows on trees or rocks, and is the animals’ favorite treat.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
