IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Amman, Jordan, Saturday 28 March 2009.

'Amman 2009' will be only the second occasion on which an Asian country has hosted the World Cross Country Championships, which are the oldest IAAF World Athletics Series event, first celebrated under the IAAF banner in 1973.

IAAF President Lamine Diack: "I am very pleased to see that we have a wide range of IAAF Member Federations, drawn from every part of the world, confirming their attendance at this edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. I am really pleased with the progress of preparations for this competition by an enthusiastic and efficient organising team in Jordan, led by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein."

"I strongly believe that Jordan is not only a marvellous tourist destination but that it has demonstrated, over recent years, a capability of organising top international sporting events. All athletes and participants will enjoy the special Jordanian hospitality and a safe and secure environment in which to compete and enjoy the competition. I look forward to flying out myself for what is certain to be a memorable edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships," confirmed President Diack.

In 2006, Fukuoka, Japan, marked the championships first landfall in Asia, competitions which attracted a final entry of 59 countries. Similar numbers have also competed in the last two editions of the World Cross Country Championships.

In 2007, Kenya, the spiritual home of cross country running took charge of the organisation of the World Cross Country Championships attracting athletes from 63 nations, while in 2008 it was Scotland, the country from where the discipline first originated, which played host to a total of 57 different nationalities.

This year we set foot into the Middle East, new territory for these championships and another step in the general universalisation of our sport.