Dakar Rally Swaps Africa For South America
Dec - 30 | 
No comments. | 
Argentina Property, Chile Property, Overseas Property News
The World famous Paris-Dakar rally makes its debut in South America and for the first time in 30 years it will not race in Africa. Instead competitors will traverse 9,000 kilometres across Argentina and Chile which play host the Dakar Rally from January 3rd 2009 to January 18th.
“Brazil are set to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and with yet another prominent sporting event taking place in South America, media coverage of Dakar Argentina-Chile 2009 will yet again highlight the increasing prominence of the Latin American continent on the World stage.” said Chintan Mahida, global property analyst at leading overseas property blog Nubricks.com.
Dakar Argentina-Chile 2009 begins and ends in the Argentianan capital Buenos Aires and will showcase Patagonia, the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert, the world’s driest.
The 2008 Dakar rally was cancelled at the last minute in 2008 due to warnings from the French Government about safety after a family of French tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in Mauritania where eight of the rallys 15 stages take place and which ends in the seaside Senegalese capital Dakar.
Whilst it is hoped that the Dakar rally will return to its African roots in 2011/2012, there is speculation that it may be hosted by a safer African nation such as South Africa. It has also been rumoured to be moving to Qatar in 2010 which already hosts a number of prestigious sporting events including a Golf Masters and the Asian Games.
In response to the Dakar rallys relocation to South America, prompted 3 time French champion of the rally, Hubert Auriol to announce an alternative version which sticks to its African itinerary, the Africa Race is expected to start shortly from a ‘major European city on the Mediterranean’ although the exact itinerary remains unclear.
Latin America is well on its way to building its global profile not just as hosts of major international sporting events but increasingly as a popular holiday destination and more importantly as an economic superpowerhouse.