Europe's Santas gear up for Winter Olympic gold

Link : http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041101/od_afp/sweden_christmas_santas_041101183715&e=3&ncid=


Competitors for the 2003 Santa Winter Olympics
Santas from Spain, England, France, Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway will take part in the second annual competition to be held in Sweden


STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Santa Clauses from across Europe are set to compete in the second annual Santa Winter Olympics (news - web sites) in Sweden later this month where they will face off in events such as chimney climbing and reindeer driving.


Santas from Spain, England, France, Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway will take part in the competition to be held in the northern Swedish town of Gaellivare on November 19-21, news agency TT said.


"The Santa Winter Olympics is a serious competition that is to be taken most seriously," a Santa organising the games, Sivert Svensson, told TT.


In addition to the sporting events, the Santas will also visit a reindeer farm and a Christmas market, hold storytime for children and collect kiddies' wish lists, the agency said.