Town hall

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe: World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has underlined the importance of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships on the eve of this year’s event in Belgrade, which is set to start on Saturday. Speaking at the pre-event press conference at Belgrade’s Town Hall on Friday, Coe explained how cross-country running is often a springboard to success on other surfaces.

“I’m delighted to be joined by these great athletes today, and I’m grateful they’ve made time to help spread the important message,” said Coe. “Cross country is an integral part in the development pathway for many endurance athletes," Sebastian Coe was quoted as saying in a release by World Athletics.

“I’m particularly pleased to be at our second World Athletics Series event of the year, following the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow just a few weeks ago. I’m delighted that our second World Championships of 2024 will be here in Belgrade – a city we’re now becoming very familiar with. In recent years it has served not just European Athletics but World Athletics very well," said the World Athletics' president.