World XC to go biennial
African dominance is to be checked - through administration
This little piece of news was probably lost in the more heady news of false starts and World Athletics Champs fever, but the IAAF motion for the World XC champs to be held every two years (instead of annually) has been passed unanimously by 132 votes to 22.
There is no further reference within the 47th IAAF Congress report as to when the new dating will actually start (certainly the 2010 Worlds in Poland are on), but we imagine that 2011 will be the first one to be skipped.
2009 IAAF Congress in Berlin
What does this mean for cross country on a global scale? We are not sure yet as there is a reference in there to ‘area champs’ each year – whatever that covers. Is it a sign of the times? Will it give the non-African nations a chance to build quality into their cross country through domestic and area competitions? Will a less frequent exposure to the intense quality of racing against the likes of Bekele and Dibaba be to the detriment of European standards?
This one will be a hot topic as the green grass turns muddy in the next 2-3 months…
