The traditional sled dog racing ‘Nadezhda’ (rus. Hope) started in Lavrentiya village. 23 dog team drivers, who take part in the racing, will have to cross a distance over 670 km in 10 days. ‘All 23 drivers, including the only woman Irina Aymetgirgina, successfully passed the first and the shortest stage of the race, got to Lorino village from Lavrentiya village. A strong snowstorm prevents the further racing’, - stated the representative of sport and tourism committee in Chukotka autonomous area.

On the whole it is planned to pass 9 stages with a distance of 42 to 132 km. The race has a new route this year – it will go through 7 coastline villages of Providensky and Chukotsky districts, the finish will be the same place where the start is, in Lavrentiya village, approximately, on the 19^th of April.

The first sled dog racing ‘Nadezhda’ took place in 1991 and had the status of an international and intercontinental race. It started in Nome (Alaska) and finished in Anadyr (Russia), 14 sportsmen from the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and Russia took part in it, crossing 1.44 thousand km.  Since then the route and status of the race has changed – it took place along the eastern or northern coastline of Chukotka, and starting from 2000 only at the section Lavrentiya – Provideniya. In 2010 it was decided to extend the race till Anadyr.

Sled dog racing ‘Nadezhda’ is aimed to develop sled dog breeding as a traditional kind of sport and branch of economic management of the far north peoples, and also to preserve the unique breed of Chukotka sled dog. Besides, the competitions are to position Chukotka as one of the leading regions of Russia in organization of winter tourism, increase the inflow of tourists and become the landmark of Chukotka.