Organisers of the Dakar Rally have confirmed that the 2008 edition of the annual endurance event has been cancelled due to security threats to competitors.
The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) took the decision on the eve of the race following days of consultation with the French officials in the wake of the murder of four French tourists in Mauritania last month.
A statement on official website read: 'After different exchanges with the French government - in particular the Ministry for Foreign Affairs - and based on their firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally, scheduled from the fifth to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal's capital.'
The 2008 Dakar Rally, the 30th staging of the event, was scheduled to get under way from Lisbon on Saturday and was due to arrive in Mauritania on 11 January.
Nine of the rally's stages were due to pass through Mauritania.
French officials on Thursday warned against holding stages in the African country because of the ongoing terrorist threat following the deaths of the French nationals.
A separate terrorist attack on a Mauritanian military base that left three soldiers dead further heightened fears over the threat posed to the rally's competitors.
Mali had already been excluded from the race for security reasons, and these latest attacks have forced the cancellation of the event for the first time with the ASO admitting that 'direct threats' had been made against the race.
The statement continued: 'Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 28th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by ASO.
'ASO's first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all: that of the populations in the countries visited, of the amateur and professional competitors, of the technical assistance personnel, of the journalists, partners and rally collaborators.
'ASO therefore reaffirms that the choice of security is not, has never been and will never be a subject of compromise at the heart of the Dakar rally.'
