On the weekend of March 21-22 the World Cross Country Championships return to Morocco after a 23 year absence. In 1975, the IAAF took the then bold decision to stage the event in Africa for the first time and Rabat was selected to act as host, this time the honour has gone to Marrakech.

The winner of the senior men’s race in Rabat was the Scottish runner Ian Stewart, who remembers the last championships staged in Morocco with considerable affection.

"It was held around, and on, a trotting track that horses usually use. It was a great event with a huge amount of spectators - the largest crowd I have ever seen at a cross country meeting despite it being incredibly hot."

"The whole of the main stand was full and all around the course people were four or five deep. It was a great atmosphere, the noise was incredible and the organisation was superb."

Stewart, until recently a senior British Athletics Federation official, believes that the Moroccan organisers will do more than just emulate what went before.

"I have no doubt it will be well organised once more - and very well supported. People tend to forget how far back the Moroccan running tradition goes. There is a tendency to think that Moroccan running started with Said Aouita," the 1972 Olympic 5,000 bronze medallist commented.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation celebrated its 40^th anniversary last year and shortly after its formation it began sending actively sending athletes to international events.

In 1960 Rhadi Ben Abdesselem became the first runner from an independent African nation to win the International Cross Country Championships, the forerunner of the IAAF World Cross Country Championship.

Later that year Ben Abdesselem became Morocco’s first ever Olympic medallist by taking the marathon silver medal after a memorable struggle with Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila and fittingly the first Moroccan runner to make an impact on the global stage will be present in Marrakech as a guest of honour.

The contemporary heroes of Moroccan running include Salah Hissou, former 10,000 metres world record holder and 1996 world cross country silver medallist, and 1996 Olympic 5,000 metres bronze medallist Khalid Boulami.

The question is can they emulate the achievements of Ben Abdesselem in front of their own supporters and become the first Moroccan winner of a world cross country title since Khalid Skah seven years ago?

Stewart is certain that Morocco will be a major factor in the men’s races but not entirely sure that they can use the advantage of racing in front of their own fans to end the dominance of the Kenyans.

"I don’t think home turf will make that much of a difference. All their supporters cheering for them may help the Moroccans but I don’t think it is going to put off the Kenyans!"

Anybody with any doubts about the fanatic level of support that Moroccans athletics fans will give to anyone wearing the famous red and green running vest will only need reminding of the celebrations that accompanied the silver medals of Hissou and the Moroccan team last year in Turin, the most fervent of the whole afternoon.

The man charged with the duel role of not only guiding the Moroccan team preparations but overseeing the technical aspects of staging the championship is Moroccan national coach Aziz Daouda.

Daouda has had 120 athletes of all ages training at the Moroccan high altitude centre of Ifrane.

He naturally believes that this year could be Morocco’s year. "We have not changed the strategy we have adopted for the last three years in terms of schedules and the way our runners have been training but this year is clearly more important."

"There is no doubt that the Moroccan squad are more motivated. We obviously want to do well in front of our home fans. The championships are important not only for the Moroccan team but for the Moroccan people."

"It is an opportunity for the Moroccan people to see many of our stars and also the great names of world athletics. Athletics is very big in Morocco, the second most popular sport after soccer and this is the first major global sporting event that Morocco has staged since the last world cross country championships here."

Daouda is an enthusiast for the new short four kilometre races although local star and reigning 1,500 world Hicham El Guerrouj has decided to concentrate on the summer and his assault of the 1,500 metres and mile record of his Arabian rival, Algeria’s Noureddine Morceli.

"It is always Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia that are contesting the longer race. We have to face facts that this is boring for some people."

"The two new events provide new marketing opportunities for the sport. It will give other countries a better chance," said Daouda.

The Moroccan Federation have a budget of $1.3 million for the championships much of which is going on the building of a brand new course on open ground towards the outskirts of Marrakech.

He has taken his inspiration from the last year’s championship when Turin’s Parco del Valentino was impressively transformed to stage the 25^th anniversary event under IAAF auspices.

As much of a sixth of Marrakech’s population are expected to want to watch the event, a desire fuelled by several months of saturation coverage in the Moroccan media, which presents Daouda with a unique challenge for a cross country meeting organiser.

"The big problem we have at the moment is how we are going to manage the crowds. Up to 200,000 people watch the Marrakech half marathon and we expect the same sort of numbers to want to watch the world championships. It could be the first ever cross country meeting I have known where people have to be turned away," commented Daouda.

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