Final entries for this year’s European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country, which will be staged in the Spanish town of Oropesa del Mar on Sunday 5 February have been published and can be found here.
In total, 399 athletes from 77 clubs representing 22 countries are entered and will participate in one of the longest-standing and most established cross country fixtures on the calendar.
The ECCC Cross Country will celebrate its 58th edition this year, after being inaugurated in Arlon, Belgium 1962 and nowadays comprises of separate competitions for U20, senior men’s and women’s teams representing the national cross country champion and vice-champion clubs of European Athletics Member Federations. The latest addition to the timetable is a mixed relay which was added to the programme for the first time in 2022.
Last year’s individual winners in Oeiras, Portugal were Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw who both wore the vest of Spanish club Playas de Castellon, and the latter also led her team to victory.
The host club Playas de Castellón will put out strong teams in all five races and be defending its continental titles in both the senior women's and mixed relay events.
After all the medals have been presented and the national anthems finished, the final event of the day will be the Total Runner 5K which is designed to be a open trail/cross country race over the same course as used earlier in the day for the five ECCC Cross Country races.
To mark 10 days to go to ECCC, the Castellón Provincial Council hosted the press conference on Thursday and the Castellón Provincial Council Presdient, José Martí, highlighted the Provincial Council's "firm commitment to sport" and celebrated that "big sporting events put the province on the map."
European Athletics was been represented by Jose Luís de Carlos, European Athletics Honorary Council Member and Project Leader of the event, who has placed special emphasis on the support of local, provincial and regional institutions in developing a first-class event.
More details from the press conference (in Spanish) can be found here.
Full details of the event, including course maps and timetable, can be found here.
The 2023 ECCC Cross Country will be live streamed on the European Athletics YouTube channel.