Two more athletics events confirmed for 2022 programme
As the return to competition gathers pace, we are pleased to confirm two additions to the calendar for 2022.
2022 Virtus World Half Marathon Championship
In September, Viseu – Portugal will host the 2022 World Half Marathon Championships. The event takes place alongside a major local competition ensuring a large and competitive field. The event takes place on 11th September and preliminary details are available on calendar.
Virtus President, Marc Truffaut says, “We would like to congratulate members of ANDDI Portugal for winning the bid to host the this event for the fifth time, which itself is a testimony to their hard work, dedication and excellence towards the competition. They have hosted spectacular Virtus events in the past and we expect nothing less this time too.”
This will be the second consecutive World Half-Marathon hosted by Virtus Portugal-Associação Nacional de Desporto para Desenvolvimento Intelectual- (ANDDI Portugal). In addition, five out of nine Virtus World Half-Marathon have been hosted by Portugal successfully.
2022 Virtus World Cross Country Championship
In November, San Diego – USA will host the 2022 World Cross Country Championships (an event delayed from 2021). The world renowned course hosts the US National Cross Country Championships providing a fantastic opportunity for Virtus athletes together with an event for non-Virtus athletes. Preliminary details and the ‘intent to enter’ registration are available now from the Virtus calendar.
President of AWL, Mr. Barry Holman said, “We are very excited for the event. The emerging and high performing athletes with intellectual impairments (II) have historically been an underserved, underrepresented and marginalized athlete population in the United States and this event aims to generate awareness and exposure to high performing II athletes and serve to engage the San Diego area community.”
The competition will the first Virtus event to be hosted in California. With six years to go for the LA 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, the 2022 Virtus World Cross Country Championship will play a major role in creating awareness towards elite sporting events for athletes with intellectual impairments in California and USA.
With the last two years heavily impacted by the global pandemic, we urge all member organisations to get behind these fantastic events and look forward to seeing Virtus athletes once again taking the podium in international competition.
