The World Athletics Cross Country Tour is an annual series of
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
competitions which are recognised by the
World Athletics
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
(formerly known as the IAAF). Athletes accumulate points in the series' cross country meets during the season, which typically begins in September and finishes in March, with top three performances counting towards the standings. The inaugural season was 2021–22. The Tour replaced the
IAAF Cross Country Permit series, which was first held in 1999.
Starting with the
2023 World Athletics Championships
The 2023 World Athletics Championships ( hu, 2023-as atlétikai világbajnokság), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, are scheduled to be held from 19 August to 27 August 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
The city of Budapes ...
, the Cross Country Tour and the cross country rankings form part of the qualification pathway for the
10,000 metres
The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...
event at championships and Olympics. The top eight men and top eight women in the cross country rankings, who are not already qualified via entry standard or world 10,000 m ranking, are automatically qualified.
The Cross Country Tour is divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Editions
Gold standard meetings
The number in the table represents the order in which the meeting took place.
Winners
Men
Women
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Athletics Cross Country Tour
Recurring sporting events established in 2021
Cross country running competitions
Annual athletics series
Cross Country Tour