16/10/2021
Less than a month after the conclusion of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, top-level action will get under way again this weekend with the Cardiff Cross Challenge, the first Gold standard meeting of the new World Athletics Cross Country Tour.
It marks the start of a six-month stretch of high quality competitions, because just as the 2021-2022 Cross Country Tour nears its conclusion, the World Athletics Indoor Tour will begin, with the first Gold level fixture slated for 28 January in Karlsruhe.
As announced last month, the Cross Country Tour has replaced the former Cross Country Permit series. As with the Continental Tour and World Indoor Tour, competitions within the Cross Country Tour have gold, silver or bronze status.
The development of these tours is part of a concerted effort by World Athletics to create a logical long-term global calendar of international events. It will also ensure more top-level competition opportunities and exposure for athletes in all areas of the sport.
Fourteen competitions currently feature on the 2021-2022 Cross Country Tour Gold calendar. The tour takes in many of the stops that formed part of the Cross Country Permit series, including the Cross Internacional de Soria, Cross de Atapuerca, Campaccio and Cinque Mulini. They now sit alongside new additions to the tour, including the CrossCup de Hannut, the Cardiff Cross Challenge and the Cross Country Classic in Eldoret, Kenya.
