World Athletics president Seb Coe confirms there are promising talks around the two sports being staged on same course at the 2030 Games in France

It has been 100 years since cross-country running was in the Olympics. The sport was part of the 1924 Games in Paris but has not been staged since. A campaign to see it reinstated has rumbled along for years and now, finally, the finish line could be in sight.

Cross-country running looks set to join forces with cyclo-cross with both disciplines sharing a venue at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

Speaking at the World Athletics press conference in Paris on Thursday (Aug 1), the governing bodys president, Seb Coe, said: There is the potential around the co-creation of a two-sport option with cyclo-cross. Weve had good discussions but there is a lot of detail still to be sorted.

Coe has been talking to David Lappartient, the president of the world governing body for cycling (UCI), about teaming up with cyclo-cross. The sport of cyclo-cross has a big following in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in particular and, like cross-country running, largely takes place on hilly and muddy ground with riders often getting off their bikes to negotiate tough sections that are difficult to ride.

Coe says cross-country running would potentially use the same course as cyclo-cross. Wed welcome a bit of jeopardy, he added.

Ive always wanted to see cross country back, Coe continued. Its obviously more at home in the winter. Its historically and traditionally a winter sport.

Importantly for me it gives Africa an opportunity to have a serious part of the Winter Games. So well see where we get to but theres a lot of goodwill. I certainly want it and David is very keen.

On the 1924 Games, Coe added: Cross country was removed after those Games due to the heat conditions and not helped by a factory being right next to the course. If the athletes didnt collapse with heat exhaustion, they went down with asphyxia.

He continued: It wasnt ideal and hasnt been back since then. But were talking about a Winter Games here.

To use a cricket analogy theres more than an outside edge of a chance that we can get this across the line.

The campaign to get cross-country running into the Olympics began in earnest back in 2008 when Haile Gebrselasssie and Paul Tergat wrote a joint letter to the International Olympic Committee asking for its inclusion.

In recent years Coe has pushed for it to be in the Games but attempts to get a mixed relay into the 2024 Paris Games did not come off.

When I joined my first athletics club, Hallamshire Harriers, Coe added, my club president was Joe Williams, who ran in the last Olympic cross country race in Paris in 1924.

During a near-hour long press conference, Coe was asked about the mens 1500m at the Paris Games and said: Its nice to see it back in the spotlight. Its a sumptuous thought that the two best milers of their generation are in a head to head. As most people can see this is not a friendship made in heaven.

Coe also talked about climate change and how it is likely to prompt a A root and branch review of the calendar.

He added: We dont want to turn up as an international federation to summer events with a field hospital.

Check out our Paris 2024 daily podcast here