This joint statement by WMRA, ITRA and IAU follows on from the online conference on 16 August hosted by World Athletics to update Member Federations and I.T.R.A National Representatives regarding the postponement of the WMRC 2021, giving further details.
We are working on holding the 1st WMTR Championships in Thailand 11-13 February 2022 and understand the Member Federations’ preference for this, given it is a short postponement that only slightly extends the 2021 season without affecting the 2022 season. Given the uncertainty of the current situation, in conjunction with the LOC, the Thailand Tourist Authority and World Athletics we will make a final decision and announcement by 5th November 2021 at the latest. This decision will have assessed the current global and local Covid-19 situation against the mitigation strategy provided from World Athletics best practice Covid protocols.
The following provisional dates will apply assuming the event is able to proceed in February 2022
If the event goes ahead in February 2022, then all age limits will remain as for November 2021 – namely
If the event has to be moved to November 2022, then the age limits will revert to those on 31 December 2022 and the whole original timeframe will be shifted by one year.
We will confirm provisional details of the trail and mountain courses soon and provide final confirmation as soon as it is possible following the necessary technical site visit.
2023
The bidding documents for the WMRC 2023 will be in a similar format to that for 2021 with a similar schedule for the championship races.
The initial information will be found soon under the hosting tab on the World Athletics Website.
https://www.worldathletics.org/hosting/iaaf-events/world-mountain-and-trail-running-championships
The deadline for expressions of interest by mid October, with final bids to be submitted by 20 December 2021.