Peaceful ethos at the heart of unique sport

Liam O’Driscoll from Bandon, Co Cork, pictured at the 2018 European Ploughing Contest in Suzdal, Russia. Part of a very successful Irish team, Liam saw off stiff competition to win first place at the European Competition. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cost the home region of the country’s president Vladimir Putin the honour of hosting the World Ploughing Contest.

It was to have taken place over two days in August, on a site near St Petersburg where Putin was born, educated, trained as a KGB officer, and embarked on a career that took him to the top job in the Kremlin.

But the World Ploughing Organisation cancelled the event and called the Ukraine war a “clear violation and breach of international law.”

On a social media post, it strongly condemned Russia and its leadership on what it described as “this atrocious conduct.”

It stated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was in “direct contradiction” of the WPO motto — ‘Pax Arva Collat — Let Peace Cultivate the Soil’.

“Therefore, the World Ploughing Governing Board has decided to cancel the forthcoming 67th World Ploughing Contest in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

It invited other member countries to apply for the contest, and the National Ploughing Association accepted the challenge after detailed discussion.

The World Contest will be held in the Republic of Ireland on September 21-22, the WPO confirmed after the decision.

WPO General Secretary Anna Marie McHugh, who is also the NPA’s assistant managing director, said Ireland was honoured to be hosting the event.

Global contest

Twenty-five countries from all over the globe from Africa to Australia will be participating in this year’s Contest at Ratheniska in Laois.

“The very best international ploughing competitors and their teams will be battling it out on Irish soil in September to become supreme World Champions,” she said.

She also said the WPO decision to cancel the event, which was being planned for years, was obviously a huge disappointment to the organisers in Russia.

The contest will take place alongside the national ploughing championships which start on September 20.

Ireland was to have hosted the World Contest in 2021 to mark the 90th anniversary of the NPA being founded, but that was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic and re-fixed for 2023.

Russia was scheduled to stage the Contest this year, but the cancellation meant the next country on the list (Ireland) was invited to host it — one year ahead of schedule.

As a result, some other country will now be chosen to hold next year’s event in place of Ireland.