Sweden under threat!

The echoes of a bad economic situation for the Rally of Sweden is not new. Already last summer, the rumor was gone, and it has resurfaced today. Also, our colleagues from Bilsport do not hesitate to write that “if the 2014 round of the Swedish rally will be contested from February 5 to 8, it could be that this is the last edition to be contested. The rights of WRC now belong to Red Bull Media House and Sportsman Media Groupe who expect round organizers to sign three-year contracts and pay several million (one Swedish Crown = 0,114 euros).”

This endangerment of the Swedish event follows the decision of the Greek organizers to no longer include the Acropolis rally on the 2014 calendar in favor of Poland. According to Glenn Olsson, the Swedish organizer, he must find several millions and sign the agreement with the WRC promoters before the end of October, otherwise the Swedish rally will disappear in favor of a round in Russia which already has powerful financial support. “The deadline has already moved 6 or 7 times but the promoter has not moved one iota on the price. If we fail to meet the conditions before the end of October, then it will be over and I think we will not see the world championship in Sweden again.”

For its part, the Red Bull Media House justifies the increase in registration fees by a desire to better promote the event and improve television broadcasts.