TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Visa challenges have left 14 Ethiopian runners unable to participate in the upcoming World Athletics Cross Country Championships, according to the event’s organizer, World Athletics.
As a result, the Ethiopian teams are unable to compete for the team titles in the men’s and women’s U20 races in Tallahassee, as a minimum of four athletes is required to score. The entry list for the event only shows one Ethiopian entered in the men’s U20 race and three in the women’s U20 race.
The exclusion of the teams means “Ethiopia will be unable to extend its streak of winning a U20 men’s team medal at every edition since 1982,” per World Athletics. In the women’s U20 race, this will also end “Ethiopia’s run of making the team podium at every edition since 1991.”
The news comes just three days before the championships are expected to take place in the capital city at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday.
Ethiopia’s senior men’s and women’s teams appear to still be eligible for the team competitions. The World Athletics entry list shows six representatives in both the men’s and women’s senior races.
WCTV reached out to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation and Visit Tallahassee on Wednesday morning for more details regarding the visa challenges.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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