1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.
Complete results for men, junior men, women, medallists,
and the results of British athletes were published.
Race results
Senior men's race (12 km)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| - | - | |
| Mohammed Kedir | 2 | - |
| Girma Berhanu | 7 | - |
| Dereje Nedi | 13 | - |
| Kebede Balcha | 14 | - |
| Miruts Yifter | 15 | - |
| Eshetu Tura | 30 | - |
| - | ||
| - |
!colspan=3 align=center | Full results
Junior men's race (7.25 km)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| - | - | |
| Keith Brantly | 3 | - |
| George Nicholas | 4 | - |
| John Butler | 6 | - |
| Chris Hamilton | 10 | - |
| - | ||
| - |
!colspan=3 align=center | Full results
Senior women's race (4.41 km)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| - | - | |
| Yelena Sipatova | 3 | - |
| Tatyana Sychova | 5 | - |
| Svetlana Ulmasova | 7 | - |
| Tatyana Pozdnyakova | 9 | - |
| - | ||
| - |
!colspan=3 align=center | Full results
Medal table (unofficial)
- Note: Totals include both individual and team medals, with medals in the team competition counting as one medal.
Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 460 athletes from 39 countries. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.*