FCI WORLD DOG SHOW BRNO 2021 (CZECH REPUBLIC)
ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY KARL DONVIL
T he last big event in the world of dog shows in Europe was Crufts 2019. By then, rumors were already circu- lating for days that a big pandemic was finding its way to Europe and the whole world. After many months, and numerous victims, during which most of the dog shows were canceled, the first signs of relief were showing. Most people in Europe proved to be vaccinated and this was the main condition to start thinking again about dog shows. Important shows, like the FCI World and European Dog Shows, were not canceled but were rescheduled, like Madrid. The World Dog Show of Brno, however, was not one that was resched- uled but was planned for 2021. Anyway, it proved to be a risky choice as the Government of the Czech Republic had to be per- suaded that a big show like this, attracting lots of people from many different countries, could happen within the strict rules of COVID prevention; in other words, ffp2-masks, social distanc- ing, etc. This was of utmost importance, as the show would go on indoors. Outdoors, the rules were not that strict, and the wearing of masks was advised but not necessary. Until the last days before the show, things remained uncertain, and communication was very limited. The judges list was subjected to numerous changes as some could not (or were not allowed to) come in the end, and the people of the press could not be informed about how the show would look, i.e., one with time schedules, with a regular main ring, and normal finals, etc. It was pure horror, as we needed to book planes, trains, and hotels, and last minute reservations could prove to become very expensive. And most of all, a strong suspicion arose that the show would even be canceled. However, as the date of the event got closer, rumors reached us that the show would probably become a rather regular one like we were used to, and finally, four days before the show, we were officially informed. The whole situation certainly affected the number of entries. There were hardly any Russians, as they had serious difficulties leaving the country, and this weighed heavily on the final number of entries. Russia, and especially Czechia, would have had a big impact on the total number of entries. In the end, 12,161 entries proved not too bad, but the president of the Czech Kennel Club had expected at least 20,000 under normal circumstances. I have no idea if the final entry would be enough to cover the basic expenses for renting the halls and setting up everything, but I suppose that the managers of the halls would have given a discount; better than
114 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021
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