6. CROSS COUNTRY

6.1. RANKING METHOD

In force from 1 January 2024.

Due to the substantial differences between cross country courses, athletes are awarded straight Performance Scores.

Athletes’ performances are considered from the World Cross Country Championships, Area Championships, National Championships, World Athletics Cross Country Tour competitions and other competitions as listed in the Categories of Competitions (Table 6.2.).

6.2. PERFORMANCE SCORE

  1. Performance Score is awarded for the placing achieved by the athlete at a competition.
  2. Competitions are categorised, and the Performance Scores are different in each Category. There are 4 different categories for the purposes of Performance Scores. The Performance Scores obtainable at each competition vary according to the level and significance of the competition. The category “GW” reflects the strongest competitions and consequently awards the most points. For example, the Performance Scores available at the World Cross Country Championships are much higher than those at any other competition. See 6.3. - Categories of Competitions.
  3. In Area Championships, Games and National Championship, Performance Scores can only be awarded to athletes representing their home Country or Area respectively. Athletes representing a foreign Member Federation or other Areas are regarded as out of competition participants (OC) and do not receive Performance Scores, regardless of their original position indicated in the official results of the competition.
  4. In case a competition belongs to more than one Category, the most favourable Performance Score is considered for each athlete based on the positions achieved in the different classifications.

Table 6.1. Performance Scores for Cross Country Events in the Final of the competitions

Place GW GL A B
1st 1400 1240 1150 1080
2nd 1375 1220 1130 1060
3rd 1350 1200 1110 1040
4th 1325 1180 1090 1020
5th 1300 1160 1070 1000
6th 1275 1145 1050 980
7th 1250 1130 1035 965
8th 1225 1120 1020 950
9th 1200 1110 1005 935
10th 1190 1100 990 920
11th 1185 1090 980 905
12th 1180 1080 970 890
13th 1175 1070 960 875
14th 1170 1060 950 860
15th 1165 1055 940 845
16th 1160 1050 930 830
17th 1155 1045 920 815
18th 1150 1040 910 800
19th 1145 1035 900 785
20th 1140 1030 890 770
21st 1135 1025 885  
22nd 1130 1020 880  
23rd 1125 1015 875  
24th 1120 1010 870  
25th 1115 1005 865  
26th 1110 1000 860  
27th 1105 995 855  
28th 1100 990 850  
29th 1095 985 845  
30th 1090 980 840  
31st 1085 975 835  
32nd 1080 970 830  
33rd 1077 965 825  
34th 1074 960 820  
35th 1071 955 815  
36th 1068 950 810  
37th 1065 945 805  
38th 1062 940 800  
39th 1059 935 795  
40th 1056 930 790  
41st 1053 927    
42nd 1050 924    
43rd 1047 921    
44th 1044 918    
45th 1041 915    
46th 1038 912    
47th 1035 909    
48th 1032 906    
49th 1029 903    
50th 1026 900    
51st 1024 898    
52nd 1022 896    
53rd 1020 894    
54th 1018 892    
55th 1016 890    
56th 1014 888    
57th 1012 886    
58th 1010 884    
59th 1008 882    
60th 1006 880    
61st 1004 879    
62nd 1002 878    
63rd 1000 877    
64th 998 876    
65th 996 875    
66th 994 874    
67th 992 873    
68th 990 872    
69th 988 871    
70th 986 870    
71st 984 869    
72nd 982 868    
73rd 980 887    
74th 978 866    
75th 976 865    
76th 974 864    
77th 972 863    
78th 970 862    
79th 968 861    
80th 966 860    
81st 964      
82nd 962      
83rd 960      
84th 958      
85th 956      
86th 954      
87th 953      
88th 952      
89th 951      
90th 950      
91st 949      
92nd 948      
93rd 947      
94th 946      
95th 945      
96th 944      
97th 943      
98th 942      
99th 941      
100th 940      
101st 939      
102nd 938      
103rd 937      
104th 936      
105th 935      
106th 934      
107th 933      
108th 932      
109th 931      
110th 930      
111th 929      
112th 928      
113th 927      
114th 926      
115th 925      
116th 924      
117th 923      
118th 922      
119th 921      
120th 920      
121st 919      
122nd 918      
123rd 917      
124th 916      
125th 915      
126th 914      
127th 913      
128th 912      
129th 911      
130th 910      
131st 909      
132nd 908      
133rd 907      
134th 906      
135th 905      
136th 904      
137th 903      
138th 902      
139th 901      
140th 900      
141st 899      
142nd 898      
143rd 897      
144th 896      
145th 895      
146th 894      
147th 893      
148th 892      
149th 891      
150th 890      
151st 889      
152nd 888      
153rd 887      
154th 886      
155th 885      
156th 884      
157th 883      
158th 882      
159th 881      
160th 880      

 

6.3. CATEGORIES OF COMPETITIONS

Placing Scores are distributed according to the categorisation of competitions, subject to the following:

  1. World Athletics has the exclusive right to determine to which Category a given competition should be assigned. Categorisation of Area Permit competitions (Championships, Games and invitation meetings) will be agreed with the corresponding Area Association.
  2. During a calendar year, only one National Senior Championships per each Member Federation can award Performance Scores according to the Categorisation as shown below. In case a Member Federation organizes more than one National Championships in any discipline within one calendar year, the first such competition is regarded as the National Championships unless the MF informs the World Athletics otherwise, prior to the beginning of the season.
  3. Only those events of a competition are entitled to receive the Category as listed below – and thus the corresponding Performance Scores – which are held primarily for the purpose of the competition for which the corresponding Category was awarded. Extra or supplementary events, national or youth events during international invitational meetings, etc. are not considered.

Table 6.2. Categories of Competitions

Category Details
GW World Athletics Cross Country Championships
GL Area Senior Cross Country Championships
World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meetings
A World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver meetings
B World Athletics Cross Country Tour Bronze meetings
World Athletics Cross Country Championships - U20 events
National Senior Cross Country Championships
Other International Cross Country Competitions (Pan-Am Cross Country Cup, CAC Cross Country Chammpionships, FISU Cross Country Championships, Balkan Cross Country Championships)

 

6.4. EVENT GROUPS AND REQUIRED NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES

Cross Country Event Rankings are produced in two Event Groups and in order to be ranked, athletes must collect three (3) Performance Scores in the Ranking Period as described in 6.5.

Table 6.3. Cross Country Event Groups and required number of performances

Nr. Event Group Required number of performances
1. Men's Cross Country 3
2. Women's Cross Country 3

 

6.5. RANKING PERIOD

6.5.1. Ranking Period

Only those Performance Scores are considered, which were obtained by the athlete in an 18 months period prior to the date of the Rankings.

6.5.2. Area Senior Cross Country Championships

In order to ensure that performances achieved at the Area Senior Cross Country Championships are calculated in the Rankings, the latest editions of the Area Senior Cross Country Championships are included in the Rankings calculation regardless of whether they fall in the Events’ respective Ranking Period, given that they were held within 3 full calendar years (e.g. after 1st January in the 3rd year prior to the date of the Rankings).

6.6. RANKING SCORE

  1. The Rankings are based on the Ranking Scores. Athletes are ranked in the Event Rankings by their Ranking Scores.
  2. The Ranking Score is the average of Performance Scores.
  3. In order to be ranked, athletes must collect a sufficient number of Performance Scores and some of them must come from Main Events. Athletes who do not collect enough performances, cannot have a valid Ranking Score, and are thus ineligible for ranking. See details for each Event Group in the corresponding section.
  4. When calculating the Ranking Score the following factors are considered:
    • Required number of performances for Ranking
    • Ranking period
  5. Tie break in case of same Ranking Score 
    In case two or more athletes have equal Ranking Scores, the tie for their Ranking position will be resolved in favour of the athlete with the best Performance Score. If the best Performance Scores are also equal, then the second best Performance Scores decide, and so on. If all Performance Scores used to make up the athlete's Ranking Score are equal, then the tie is not broken and the athletes remain ranked in the same position.