Athletics: Dublin to host 2002 world championships

Dublin has received a boost with the news it will stage next year's World Cross Country championships.

This year's event was to have been staged at Leopardstown but it was transferred to Belgium because of the foot and mouth epidemic.

The IAAF Council decided in Lisbon this morning that Dublin should play host to the competition in 2002 and a date for the championships will be announced in due course.

The news will delight the Irish Federation, which was estimated to have lost £500,000 in administrative costs by not hosting the event this year.