h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have to disagree with the statement: "As a competitive sport, cross country began in the early 19th Century in England. "
There is vast evidence that this is not so, starting from cave paintings in Australia, the Americas, and Western Europe, which depict what are clearly games of running. Since they didnt, to the best of our knowledge, have running tracks, these games can be assumed to have been cross country. Then, the original Olympic games in ancient Greece had many running events, both of the track and cross country type, and both clearly competitive. The Vikings also held running tournaments, using games as training excercises. Indigenous people throughout the Americas were known to have such competitions, sometimes evn between different nations.
I am not as familiar with more modern history, but in any case, the original statement needs some qualification.