Asian Cross Country Championships
Encyclopedia
The Asian Cross Country Championships is a biennial regional cross country running
competition for athletes from Asia
. It is organised by the Asian Athletics Association
and was first held in 1991 in Fukuoka
, Japan
. The competition has been held every two years since then, although the 2003 edition was postponed due to political conflicts within the region.
The championships comprises four races: separate senior races for men and for women, and two corresponding junior races for the sexes. Furthermore, in each of the four races athletes compete simultaneously for both individual medals and team medals. For the team competitions, the final positions of the best finishing runners from each country are combined and the team with the lowest points total wins.
Athletes and teams of Japan
, China
and Iran
have historically been the most successful of the championships. However, Qatar
and Bahrain
have become increasingly dominant since 2005, led by a number of East Africa
n-born athletes who have transferred allegiance to the small Middle-Eastern states.
The 2011 edition, set for February in Kathmandu, was postponed after the Nepalese government did not provide the requisite funds needed to host the event.
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
competition for athletes from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It is organised by the Asian Athletics Association
Asian Athletics Association
The Asian Athletics Association is the continental governing body for the sport of athletics in Asia. It is headquartered in Singapore. It organises the Asian Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions....
and was first held in 1991 in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The competition has been held every two years since then, although the 2003 edition was postponed due to political conflicts within the region.
The championships comprises four races: separate senior races for men and for women, and two corresponding junior races for the sexes. Furthermore, in each of the four races athletes compete simultaneously for both individual medals and team medals. For the team competitions, the final positions of the best finishing runners from each country are combined and the team with the lowest points total wins.
Athletes and teams of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
have historically been the most successful of the championships. However, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
have become increasingly dominant since 2005, led by a number of East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n-born athletes who have transferred allegiance to the small Middle-Eastern states.
The 2011 edition, set for February in Kathmandu, was postponed after the Nepalese government did not provide the requisite funds needed to host the event.
Editions
| Edition | Year | Venue | City | Country | No. of athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1991 | Fukuoka Fukuoka Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan... |
|||
| 2nd | 1993 | Jakarta Jakarta Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre... |
|||
| 3rd | 1995 | Chiba International Cross Country Chiba International Cross Country The Chiba International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Chiba, Japan in mid-February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.... |
Chiba Chiba, Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000.... |
||
| 4th | 1997 | Chiba International Cross Country Chiba International Cross Country The Chiba International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Chiba, Japan in mid-February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.... |
Chiba Chiba, Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000.... |
||
| 5th | 1999 | Enghelab Sport Complex Enghelab Sport Complex -Facilities:* Enghelab Golf Course* Enghelab Skating Academy* Matrix Paintball Club* Enghelab Bowling Club* Enghelab Tennis Courts* Enghelab Squash Club* Enghelab Skating & Inline Hockey Arena* Enghelab Indoors & Outdoors Swimming Pools* Enghelab Fishing Pool... (Men) |
Tehran Tehran Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to... |
100 | |
| (Women) | Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
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| 6th | 2001 | Kathmandu | |||
| 7th | 2004 | Pune Pune Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ... |
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| 8th | 2005 | Guiyang Guiyang Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is located in the centre of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters... |
676 | ||
| 9th | 2007 | Al Bisharat Golf Club | Amman Amman Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost... |
1009 | |
| 10th | 2009 | Al-Rafah Bahrain Hippodrome | Manama Manama Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population... |
1189 | |
| 11th | 2011 | Kathmandu |
Champions
| Year | Men's senior race | Women's senior race | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | Team | Individual | Team | |
| 1991 |  Japan |
 North Korea |
||
| 1993 |  India |
Japan |
||
| 1995 | Japan |
Japan |
||
| 1997 |  Saudi Arabia |
Japan |
||
| 1999 | Japan |
Japan |
||
| 2001 |  Sri Lanka |
Japan |
||
| 2004 |  People's Republic of China |
Japan |
||
| 2005 |  Qatar |
People's Republic of China |
||
| 2007 | Qatar |
 Bahrain |
||
| 2009 | Qatar |
Japan |
||
All-time medal table
- Senior individual races only. Last update: 2009
1 Japan 8 9 8 25 2 People's Republic of China 3 4 5 12 3 
Iran 3 1 1 5 4 Bahrain 2 2 2 6 5 Qatar 2 1 2 5 6 North Korea 1 1 1 3 7 Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 8 India 0 2 0 2 9 Sri Lanka 0 0 1 1 Total 20 20 20 60