At least 4400 cross country athletes are expected to participate in the South African Cross Country Championships hosted on Saturday at Kees Taljaard Stadium.

One of the event organisers, Paul Bester, president of Mpumalanga Athletics, has nothing but praise for the municipality’s efforts to tidy up the stadium, and also for attending to problems pointed out in the run-up to the event.

During the championships at Kees Taljaard Stadium on September 6, at least 4 000 athletes from across the country will come to Middelburg, a staggering number of visitors to our town, which does not even include their family members, trainers, various provincial officials or Athletics South Africa (ASA) representatives.

Between 11 000 and 15 000 officials and spectators are expected to attend.

On the day, Kees Taljaard Stadium will literally be an ants’ nest with the best of the best across nine provinces competing for podium finishes.

Bester said a panel of ASA’s technical cross country committee attended the Mpumalanga Championships on the 16th, where all of the officials gave the thumbs up for the trail, as well as the facilities.

The formal approval and contract awarded to Athletics Mpumalanga to host the event in Middelburg was signed there and then by ASA top brass.
Residents should expect a hive of activity around the stadium.

The programme looks like this: