Dakar Rally canceled this year
 

not the first time. shame that it comes down to this.

the article says it IS the first time. stage have been cancelled and/or re-routed before, but never has the entire race been srapped.

i was thinking more in terms of events getting canceled in that part of the world. several FIA rallies, GP 2 and 3 races, and other events have been postponed or eliminated from schedules because of the on going civil, ethnic, and religious wars in that part of the world.