Tomorrow begins the tour of the Euskal Herria sheep and wool selection at the World Cup

The Euskal Herria selection will begin tomorrow at the Golden Shears and Woolhandling World Championship in Masterton, New Zealand . The competition will continue until Saturday. This is a historic moment, as the Basque team will compete for thefirst time in the world's most prestigious competition. The premiere will also take place in the country considered the modern birthplace of sheep logging.

Over the past few weeks, the team has carried out extensive preparatory work on New Zealand soil to adapt to local conditions. The members of the team have been trained daily to familiarize themselves with different environments, rhythms of competition and types of sheep. They have combined these training with local competitions, which have allowed them to compete with some of the best international specialists.

"We have done a lot of work in recent weeks. We have learned a lot and the adaptation has gone well. Daily training, competitions and training with world-leading cutters and woollers has allowed us to know firsthand the pace and demand of the highest international level," they explain from New Zealand. The team has improved the techniques of cutting wool by machine and scissors , as well as the classification of wool, taking care ofaspects such as the cleaning of wool, the location of the animal and the accuracy and speed of its movements.

In this final phase of preparation, contact with reference professionals, including the 2019 World Champion, Alan Oldfield, with whom they have shared several working days, has been key. The press release explains that the experience has been useful in adjusting technical details and strengthening the team's confidence before starting the major international event.

Beyond the results, "the presence of the Basque Country in the World Cup is already a victory. An important step towards the recognition of the Basque primary sector and, at the same time, to give visibility to the work of these sheep cutters and wool trees. It is a way to keep alive this knowledge transmitted from generation to generation."

Having completed the course and preparation, the selection will face the tournament with determination and confidence, and they are confident that this debut will mark "the beginning of a new stage" internationallyforthe Basque sheep mower .

Selection of the Basque Country

Machine cutters: Mikel Etxebarria (Dima, Bizkaia), Joseba Ugalde (Lezama, Bizkaia)

Scissors: North Arrinda (Lekeitio, Bizkaia), Josu Ekisoain (Ibiriku, Navarre)

Ilagines: Janire Artabe (Dima, Bizkaia), Mikel Velasco (Arrasate, Gipuzkoa)

Serial head: Joseba Attard (Bedarona, Bizkaia)