NZ sheep shearers want Olympic status
The New Zealand Farmers Federation wants sheep shearing to become an Olympic sport.
With the World Shearing Championships set to be held in the North Island town of Masterton in March, federation spokeswoman Jeanette Maxwell said shearing was now a bona fide sport that deserved international recognition.
“Surely, time has come to elevate shearing’s sporting status to the ultimate world stage?” she said in a statement. “One way would be to make shearing a demonstration sport at a Commonwealth Games, if not, the Olympics itself.”
Maxwell, reported by AFP, said competitive shearers clip up to 700 sheep over an eight-hour period, in a feat that has been likened to running two marathons back-to-back.
“I can also testify to the physical effort shearing takes… (top shearers) are athletes who take it to another level,” she said.
New Zealand has a human population of about 4.4 million which is outnumbered by a national sheep flock of around 40 million, according to Statistics New Zealand.
THE MOLE VIEW: We’re right behind the sheep shearers. Is there still time to get them to London to compete in Trafalgar Square? At the expense of synchronised swimming?
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025