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Watch European Cross Country Championships on BBC

Abbie Donnelly holding a union jack flag
Abbie Donnelly will captain the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team at this year's championships [Getty Images]

The European Cross Country Championships take place in Turkey on Sunday, 8 December and will be live on BBC Sport.

The 30th anniversary staging of the event will be contested in the south-west coastal city of Antalya.

BBC Sport will be showing all seven races - men's and women's in the seniors, under-23 and under-20 age groups, and the mixed relay - with athletes running through mud and sand to try to win the titles.

Who could catch the eye?

Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

In Belgium last year, Great Britain and Northern Ireland topped the rankings, winning 11 medals, including seven gold. The team have been a force in the mixed relay event too, winning it three times since it first featured in 2017.

Will Barnicoat will be looking to defend the men's U23 title he secured last year in Belgium with a late charge to beat French rival Valentin Bresc. The Briton, who won the U20 race in 2022, will also hope to help secure gold again in the U23 men’s team competition.

Team standings are determined by the total of the finishing positions of a team's four athletes in the race.

Innes FitzGerald will be looking to defend her U20 title after displaying a dominant performance and not giving up her early lead last time out. She will also be looking to help defend the U20 women's team gold.

Innes FitzGerald crosses the finish line
Innes FitzGerald won U20 individual and team gold medals last year [Getty Images]

European rivals:

Norway's Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal will be looking to make it a record-equalling fourth successive title in the women's senior race, while France's Yann Schrub is looking to keep hold of his men's title.

Denmark's Axel Vang Christensen is competing in the U23 men's race after becoming U20 European champion last year in Denmark.

A mud-splattered Yann Schrub competes in Brussels last year
Yann Schrub won his first European Championship medal in an individual race last year [Getty Images]

Where to watch

You can watch all the action live across Red Button, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Coverage starts at 07:55 GMT on Sunday, 8 December.