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Sporting Witness: Bomb scare at The Grand National

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13/04/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, Bomb scare at The Grand National

The story of the 150th Grand National which was disrupted by an IRA bomb scare.

The 150th Grand National horse race was disrupted by the IRA sending two coded bomb threats meaning the world famous steeplechase had to be abandoned.

On 5th April 1997, the 150th Grand National horse race was meant to take place at the Aintree racecourse near Liverpool.  But the IRA sent 2 coded bomb threats which meant the world famous steeplechase had to be abandoned.  Managing Director of the course at the time, Charles Barnett, tells Uma Doraiswamy what it was like to be the man responsible for safely evacuating 70,000 people and trying to get the race back on track.

(Photo: A sign instructs the public on the evacuation procedure due to the IRA bomb scare which postponed The Grand National in April 1997. Credit: Getty)

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