4th March 2008

Edinburgh 2008 Set For Record

 

04 March 2008

 

 

With preliminary entries for the 36th IAAF Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh on March 30th now received, the city and Local Organising Committee remain on course for their aspirations to deliver the best ever World Cross Country Championships.

 

The record number of teams participating in the previous 35 editions of the event was 76 in Vilamoura, Portugal in 2000. The number of preliminary entries received for Edinburgh is 79.

 

Edinburgh 2008 Venues Manager Gavin Lightwood said: “It is very pleasing to have surpassed the previous best at this point, but with a significant number of nations with less than three athletes taking part, our challenge now is to liase with the IAAF to set ourselves up for more than 76 on the start line. It is also great for the supporting Adopt-a-Nation programme to have such a variety of countries here. There has been an LOC fascination with Micronesia in the South Pacific since the bid stage and they will be represented by Nauru, whose athlete will be taken under the wing of the East Kilbride Tartan Army for the week leading up to the race.”

 

Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer of EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “This is really good news for Edinburgh and the Championships. Excitement is building towards what we hope will be the best World Cross Country Championships ever held, and the news that we’re on track to surpass the record number of countries entered at this stage is a great boost for all those involved in helping deliver this event.”

 

The LOC is grateful to Cherry Alexander and Kate Channon of UK Athletics, along with Rosie Pili of the IAAF, for all their hard work in collating phase one of the entry process.

 

            

Download a copy of the third issue of McNews, the newsletter for the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, to be held in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh on 30 March 2008.