MARRAKECH - The programme of the 26^th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which will be disputed on Saturday and Sunday next, on a magnificent verdant circuit within the Ghabat Chabab olive grove, just a kilometre from the Medina of Marrakech, opened today with the start of the IAAF Council session. The President of the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation, Hai Mohamed Mediouri, welcomed the leaders of athletics world wide and the President of the IAAF, Primo Nebiolo, presented him with a commemorative plaque, in recognition of the great efforts made in the organisation of the World Championships.

President Mediouri was particularly satisfied at the news that Salah Hissou, the star of Moroccan distance running, silver medallist in the World Cross Country Championships in Turin last year and bronze medallist in the 10,000m in Athens ’97, will once again be challenging on Sunday the formidable Paul Tergat, three times world cross country champion, over the 12km of the Marrakech course. Doubts had been raised about the participation of Hissou, who had been recovering from a tendon injury: today both the technical director of the Moroccan team, Aziz Daouda, and Hissou’s coach, Kada Abdelkader, confirmed that he would be participating.

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