NEW CHALLENGE FOR TVMS :
For the first time in the history of International Athletics, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships taking place in Kampala, Uganda, on March 26th, are expected to meet an unprecedented success on major African television channels.
TVMS, which holds the exclusive free-to-air media rights of the IAAF World Athletics Series in sub-Saharan Africa, is distributing the event in 23 countries, a record never reached before. This great achievement is the result of almost a decade of efforts and promotional work to install African Athletics on the most important public and private channels of the continent, enhanced by the world records and achievements from its numerous athletes.
Cross Country, a former Olympic discipline until 1924, saw stars such as Finn Paavo Nurmi winning twice at the 1920 and 24 Olympics. It remained firmly rooted as a winter athletic discipline, wildly prized by African athletes who have been collecting world titles and exploits for more than twenty years.
It is on the legendary Kololo Park in the midst of a dream green scenery, in the heart of Kampala, the Ugandan capital, that the athletes of 59 countries, and one team of refugees, will start.
This is the third time that the African continent is organizing these World Cross Country Championships, after a first edition in South Africa and a second time in Kenya.
In close collaboration with UBC, the national channel in Uganda and host broadcaster of the event, TVMS and its staff will once again consolidate the increasingly important role of Athletics on African screens.