USA Track & Field (USATF) has awarded its 2008 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships to Hanover County. The event, to be held on December 13, 2008 at Pole Green Park, was awarded on the strength of a bid presented by the Sports Backers, Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Virginia Association of USA Track & Field.

The USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships attracts more than 3,000 athletes aged 8 to 18 from all 57 USATF Associations who will compete for boy and girls' titles in five age divisions. The event is expected to result in an estimated economic impact of $500,000 for the region.

"Besides the economic benefits for Hanover and the region, this event will spotlight youth running in our community," said Sports Backers executive director Jon Lugbill. "We hope to motivate Richmond region youth to take up running after seeing the best from around the country compete here."

"Hanover County has put together a great course in Pole Green Park," said Jim Holdren, president of Virginia USATF. "We expect a lot of local athletes to seize upon the home-course advantage to vie for qualifying spots in the championship. A lot of the credit goes to Lee-Davis cross country and track parents who do a great job of maintaining the permanent cross country course at Pole Green Park that will be used for the championships."

Sports Backers is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization founded in October 1991 to build a more vibrant community through sports. The mission of the organization is to maximize the community benefits of sports tourism in the region by:

Creating, attracting and improving significant sporting events,

Serving as a resource in the development and utilization of sports facilities and,

Aiding area youth through sports outreach programs.

These activities and programs strengthen the economy, provide health benefits to participants and make the region a more desirable place to live.