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\u2019s organizer, World Athletics.<\/p>\n
As a result, the Ethiopian teams are unable to compete for the team titles in the men\u2019s and women\u2019s U20 races in Tallahassee, as a minimum of four athletes is required to score. The entry list<\/a> for the event only shows one Ethiopian entered in the men\u2019s U20 race and three in the women\u2019s U20 race.<\/p>\n The exclusion of the teams means \u201cEthiopia will be unable to extend its streak of winning a U20 men\u2019s team medal at every edition since 1982,\u201d per World Athletics. In the women\u2019s U20 race, this will also end \u201cEthiopia\u2019s run of making the team podium at every edition since 1991.\u201d <\/p>\n The news comes just three days before the championships<\/a> are expected to take place in the capital city at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n Ethiopia\u2019s senior men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams appear to still be eligible for the team competitions. The World Athletics entry list shows six representatives in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s senior races.<\/p>\n WCTV reached out to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation and Visit Tallahassee on Wednesday morning for more details regarding the visa challenges. <\/p>\n This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n