The Greenland Dog Sledding Association (KNQK) has said that the tourism company that had invited Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry for the dog sled race “has unilaterally withdrawn its invitation.”
“This is reassuring,” Politico quoted the association as saying in a statement posted on Facebook late Sunday, without identifying the tourism company.
Landry, a Republican appointed last month by US President Donald Trump as his special envoy to Greenland, had been invited to participate in a traditional dog sled race on the Arctic island.
The invitation sparked controversy, with the KNQK last week criticising it as “wholly inappropriate” and saying it was “unacceptable that political pressure is being exerted from outside.”
Trump over the weekend said he would impose tariffs on eight European countries, including Denmark, that oppose his plans to gain control of Greenland, further escalating transatlantic tensions.
Landry, who took office in early 2024, had said he planned to visit the island in March.
Last year, US Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, was scheduled to attend the dog sled race during an American tour of Greenland but withdrew after protests.
The withdrawal of Landry’s invitation is seen as a response to local objections, preserving the traditional nature of the event and the association’s stance against foreign political interference.
With inputs from agencies
