Dakar Rally Confirmed in South America for 2011

It seems that the South American continent is set to become the continuous host of the Dakar Rally, as the Argentine Secretary of State for Tourism Enrique Meyer officially confirmed that the 2011 edition of the event will be hosted by his country – alongside Chile – for the 3rd year in a row.

“Being able to count on the Dakar again is a dream come true for Argentina. For the last two years, in addition to the sporting aspect, we have displayed to the whole wide world (more than 190 countries) our landscapes and people. We are very proud to welcome the Dakar again and have worked very hard to be able to do so,” said Meyer in a press release.

“It is an honor for Chile to be confirmed as a co-host of the Dakar 2011. We are convinced that this veritable international festival of sport is a perfect way of showing the unique sites of our country to the rest of the world,” added Ruiz Tagle, the Minister for Sports in Chile.

Additionally, Tagle stressed out the importance of this announcement for his country, in a time when Chile was heavily affected by the 8.8 (on the moment magnitude scale) earthquake that hit the Maule Region of Chile on February 27.

“We would like to underline the importance of this event at a time when our country is suffering the consequences of a devastating earthquake. This Dakar will help us look toward the future and demonstrate that Chile is capable of overcoming such misfortune,” added Tagle.

The 2011 edition of Rally Dakar will get under way on January 1st and end on January 16th. As far as the future of the competition is concerned, it is believed the rally organizers are now considering going back to the African continent, following their exodus in 2008 (due to terrorist attacks in the region).