Cape Town to host African Cross Country Champs

South Africa has been appointed the host nation for the second Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Cross Country Championships, which will take place in Cape Town on Sunday 6 March 2011.

This event will be the first international athletics competition in this country since 1998 and a field of top runners from all over the African continent is expected to compete in this prestigious event.

The CAA African Cross Country Championships will take place at Western Province Cricket Club (WPCC), with each event run over a 2km course that will start on the Rondebosch Boys High School field, include a loop through Keurboom Park and finish in front of WPCC.

Senior men and women will compete over distances of 12km and 8km respectively, while junior men and women will run 8km and 6km respectively. Each country can have up to six athletes per category representing them, making a maximum total participation of 24 per country.

14 countries will be taking part in the event, including top athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and, of course, South Africa, to name a few.

According to James Evans, the chairperson of the Athletics South Africa board: “We are extremely proud to have been appointed as the host nation and the event promises to deliver some outstanding competition and will see some of the top runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and other African countries compete against our local runners.”

He added that the 2km loop route is in keeping with international standards and has been designed to offer spectators the opportunity to see some of the world’s top athletes in action up close and allow them the chance to interact with them and experience a world-class event first hand.

A 4km fun run has also been added to the programme and is open to runners who want to experience the event from a runners’ perspective. Runners will need to pre-enter this fun run event and can call the WPA office on 021-699 0615 to secure their entry. No entries will be taken on the day of the event.

ASA announced that the teams from the various countries, including South Africa, are still being finalised and will be announced shortly.