DAWSON CITY From the air, the mass start chutes for the International Federation of Sleddog Sports sprint races look like a complex series of doggie highways.

They seem like they're feeding into each other at fixed intervals so the mass start being used here will not have dogs and sleds getting tangled up with each other.

This arrangement, planned by the local committee and executed by locals, has eased the minds of federation officials and impressed them greatly, according to race manager Glen Everitt.

The races, which will attract hundreds of people, began today and will continue for the next 10 days.

Everitt has picked up another duty for the first set of competitions, the Unlimited Class, as the race marshal for that set of races is now entered in the contest.

Speaking for the local committee, which has been working on this event now for more than two years, Brent Macdonald said he is very happy with the way things are going.

'(Thursday) was a really good day and everything seems to be perfectly in place for (today).'

Some of the competitors have not yet arrived. However, Macdonald said there were 154 adult teams and 40 to 50 junior teams due to compete over the next 10 days.

When you include the Percy DeWolfe Mail Race, which will take off next Thursday morning, there will be 20 races of all different classes here during the event.

There might have been more contestants save for a fairly determined negative rumour mill that originated here and was felt as far away as Europe.

'The negativity is a challenge,' MacDonald said, frowning. 'Some people just don't like a new event. We had some rumours started here in Dawson that were just not true.

'When we were visited by the (federation) trail techs and committee members who came to check out the venue three weeks ago, they were absolutely ecstatic. They'd never seen trails like this before, or the organization and hospitality.

'Once that word went out, there was a whole other group of people that wanted to come, but unfortunately, it was too late.'

Everything the federation has seen so far has simply confirmed its decision to award the mid-distance races to Dawson in two years' time, and may open up the potential to stage other federation events here. There are many of these, including some that take place in the summer and don't involve either sleds nor snow.

The first set of opening ceremonies took place at the Danoja Zho Cultural Centre on Thursday evening. Included among the speeches was a set of traditional songs by the Han Dancers and Singers, as well as a recitation (complete with audience paricipation) of The Shooting of Dan McGrew by Johnny Caribou.

Everitt introduced a short video production called I Have a Dream. It presented a short overview of the history of sled dog use and put forth the federation dream that various categories of mushing ought to become Olympic events.

The ceremony ended on a humorous note, as MacDonald was inducted into the Dog's Ball Hi-ball club by Caribou.