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| - The organisers of Britain's Crufts dog show said Friday that the 130-year-old event will not go ahead in July as planned, due to uncertainty over the pandemic. The Kennel Club, which organises the prestigious show, said it decided to cancel the event set for July 15-18 because of "ongoing uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic" and concerns about the safety of the thousands of participants. The precautionary measure comes despite the UK government setting a tentative date of June 21 for lifting all restrictions on social contact. The Kennel Club said it took the decision "with deep regret", but that it was looking "extremely unlikely" that overseas judges and exhibitors would be able to attend "in light of recent announcements and the emergence of a third wave of coronavirus in Europe." The next edition of the four-day show, which features some 27,000 dogs, is now scheduled for March 2022. Tom Mather, Crufts chairman, said in a statement: "We are very disappointed that we have had to cancel Crufts for the first time since 1954, in what would have been its 130th anniversary year, and it is a decision we have not taken lightly." Organisers said they surveyed dog enthusiasts in recent weeks and found 63 percent were uncomfortable about attending an indoor event. The dog show was one of the last major public events to go ahead in Britain in early March last year, as fears over virus cases mounted. It took place at the NEC exhibition centre in Birmingham in central England. The Kennel Club had earlier pushed back this year's event from March to July. The show, first held in 1891, has been cancelled three times before: for World War I, World War II and due to strike action by electricians in 1954. Last year Crufts said that dog entry numbers were down due to uncertainty on rules for animals' entry during the Brexit transition period. am/mjs
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