The 2027 edition of the Dakar Rally will be held exceptionally in Portugal and Morocco next January, according to what organizers announced on Friday.
Amaury Sport, the company organizing the event, explained in a statement that it was decided to move the 2027 competitions exceptionally to Europe and Africa, with the rally returning to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to celebrate its fiftieth edition.
The organizers added that the 49th edition of the rally will be the opening leg of the 2027 season of the World Desert Rally Championships, affiliated with the International Federation of Automobiles (FIA) and the International Federation of Motorcycles (FEM).
The statement continued: “The competitions will include a preliminary exhibition stage followed by 12 stages, during the period from January 9 to 23, on a track starting from the cities of Loulé and Faro in Portugal all the way to Marrakesh in Morocco.”
For the first time since 2007, the Dakar Desert Rally returns to the African continent after the first edition of the race, which was known as “Paris-Dakar”, was launched in 1978 at the initiative of the Frenchman Thierry Sabine, a media official passionate about adventures and motorcycles. He died in 1986 in a helicopter crash, along with a number of people, including the singer Daniel Palavoine.
According to the organizer, the Algarve region in Portugal will host the preliminary stage and the first special stage, while Morocco will be the stage for 11 stages, in addition to a rest day in the city of Agadir as part of a path that aims to explore the country from its north to its extreme south.
The statement explained that the race will pass through six different camps along a route totaling 7,824 kilometers, including 4,341 kilometers of special stages designated for competition.
In the statement, race director David Castera described the 2027 edition as a competition “without any concessions,” referring to the great challenges awaiting the participants.
The Dakar Rally was canceled in 2008 due to fears of terrorist attacks and jihadist threats, before it left the African continent and moved to South America between 2009 and 2019, and then Saudi Arabia hosted it in seven successive editions, from 2020 until last January.
Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, who since Thursday has guaranteed to end the year at the top of the world rankings for professional women's tennis players, announced her withdrawal from the quarter-finals of the Tokyo tournament, on Friday, due to a neck injury.
Rybakina had booked her place in the quarter-finals on Thursday, after she easily defeated her compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 at the beginning of her tournament campaign.
This result ensured that Rybakina finished the season in first place in the world, knowing that she was no longer required to participate in any other tournament this season except for the final “WTA” tournament, which brings together the best eight female players during the year, and is scheduled to start on November 8 in Indian Wells.
Despite her presence on the field on Friday, Rybakina did not participate in the quarter-final match against Canadian Laila Fernandez, but rather addressed the fans by saying: “I just wanted to thank you for your presence today, but unfortunately I will not be able to play.” “I suffered a minor injury a few days ago, and it is difficult for me to perform 100 percent, especially since I have a very important tournament ahead of me.”
The player explained in a statement that she suffers from “inflammation and pain in the neck.”
With Rybakina's withdrawal, Fernandez, ranked 23rd in the world, qualified to face Russian Kamila Rakhimova, ranked 66th in the world, in the semi-finals scheduled for Saturday.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo praised his teammates in the Saudi Al-Nassr team, after scoring 3 goals (hat-tricks), bringing him closer to his desired goal of reaching 1,000 goals in his busy career with the football club.
Only 15 goals separate the former Manchester United, Spanish, Real Madrid, and Italian Juventus star from his 1,000th goal.
Ronaldo (41 years old) scored his 3 goals within 15 minutes during the second half of the match that ended with Al-Nasr’s 5-3 victory over Al-Khuloud, in the Saudi Professional League, yesterday (Thursday).
This hat-trick is the 67th in Ronaldo's career, bringing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to his tally of 985 goals in his football career, a number that many already consider a world record at the men's level.
Ronaldo wrote on his personal account on the Instagram social networking application: “A wonderful win and an outstanding team performance.” “I am happy to contribute by scoring 3 goals.”
It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will be able to increase his scoring tally with the Portuguese national team, as he was absent from the team last September, but he will be available to participate again in the European Nations League matches scheduled for next month, after the end of a 30-day suspension period.
Ronaldo had previously indicated that this season might be his last as a player, if he succeeded in reaching the 1,000-goal barrier.
