European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz has expressed his delight following the successful 17th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal, on 12 December.
“After enjoying a wonderful day of cross country running, I am happy to say that the 2010 SPAR European Cross Country Championships was a resounding success. Albufeira 2010 truly showcased the glowing tradition of cross country running in Portugal. I must congratulate the local organising committee of Albufeira 2010 and the Portuguese athletics federation for putting together one of the best SPAR European Cross Country Championships ever,” said President Wirz.
“This is not to forget the wonderful crowd that cheered the athletes all the way throughout the day. The good performance of Portuguese athletes also made it a truly memorable evening for all those who were present onsite,” he added.
A total of 34 countries competed, which beat the previous record of 33 Member Federations present at the 2008 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000.
Overall 468 athletes competed in the six races, equalling the previous best at the 2006 and 2008 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
There were 102 under 23 men on the start line, a massive increase on the previous best of 85, and also a near record figure in the junior men’s race with 104 teenagers competing.
“These numbers are a true reflection of the increasing popularity of cross country running across Europe and I hope that this trend adds to improvements in the overall quality of runners in the future,” added Wirz.
The 18th edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be organised in the Slovenian city of Velenje on 11 December in 2011.
Velenje will become only the second city to stage the event for a second time, after the back-to-back editions of 1994 and 1995, the first two years of the Championships, held in the English town of Alnwick.
Albufeira 2010 was supported by European Athletics’ long-standing international partners SPAR, OMEGA, EPSON, LE GRUYˆRE and EUROVISION, along with a number of national partners and suppliers.