WOC in the Future: Not quite dead anyway? | World of O News World of O News Home / Orienteering News / WOC in the Future: Not quite dead anyway? WOC in the Future: Not quite dead anyway? Jan Kocbach March 22, 2012 Orienteering News 17 Comments While the IOF killed the WOC in the Future project in January , the Nordic Orienteering Federations believe that the WOC in the future project should be thoroughly evaluated and brought to a conclusion at the General Assembly in 2012. Consequently the Nordic Orienteering federations submitted a new proposal for a split WOC to the General Assembly at the last possible day – March 20th. Update March 22nd 12:00: Switzerland and Italy have also submitted proposals for a new WOC program – see the details here . The Swiss proposal suggests to keep a yearly WOC week, but include a chase start event and get rid of the qualification races for long and middle. The Italian proposal suggests to get rid of qualification race for long, include a mixed relay. It also includes a specific form of spreading for the long distance.

The Nordic proposal is to organize a “Terrain” WOC and “Urban” WOC in alternating years. The terrain WOC would include the existing Middle, Long and Relay disciplines plus one additional “first-to-finish” discipline [Editors comment: Suggested to be 25 minutes prologue + 25 minute chasing start]. Qualifications for the middle and long distance races would be based upon some form of nation strength system. The new additional distance and relay would be open to equal participation for all nations. The urban WOC would include the existing individual start sprint discipline (with qualifications and final), a knock-out sprint discipline based upon the experience of the World Cup (NORT) and a sprint-relay. For the urban WOC, equal participation of all IOF nations for all distances will be possible. You can read the complete proposal as submitted to the IOF here (English text) – for comparison here is the suggestion by SOFT last November – which is similar in most respects. First “Terrain” WOC in 2016 It is proposed that the first “Terrain” WOC is organized at the latest in 2016 and the first “Urban” WOC 2017.

Note that 2016 is the year Sweden will most probably be WOC organizer, whereas China may be a possible organizer for a sprint WOC in 2017. Relating these goals to the current WOC format we do feel that it is appropriate to make changes to the current WOC program, as it is limiting in reaching these goals. Analysis The proposal from the Nordic countries is very well built up – building the proposed program on a vision for the future WOC and a set of goals. This type of argument was missing in the original proposed WOC in the future program from the IOF – and it surely strengthens the chances for the program to succeed in getting support at the General Assembly in Switzerland in June. Looking back to the World of O article on the topic from August 2010 where I argumented for a split WOC as a very good alternative compared to the IOF proposal, the NORD suggestion is nearly identical to the program suggested there. Repeating and expanding on some of the arguments from that article: There will be room for both the traditional long distance, the middle distance and a first-to-finish event.

Both a KnockOut sprint, a traditional sprint (possibly also both city sprint and forest sprint) and a sprint relay can be introduced into the program – disciplines which are easier to master for the less developed orienteering nations The Sprint WOC will be easier to organize for less developed orienteering nations, making it easier to spread orienteering to new nations. An urban WOC program can be organized in many locations where it would be difficult to organize a terrain WOC and vice versa. A Sprint WOC could be one of the best roads towards the Olympic goal of the IOF. I still believe a split WOC is clearly the only good option if the premise is that you need to introduce new disciplines in order to develop the sport in the right direction – which was an important premise in the WOC in the Future project. But: If you would take the “need” for new disciplines out of the equation, there are still several advantages with splitting the WOC – but the picture is less clear. It might however be quite plausible that a sprint WOC would attract more nations 10-15 years from now than a combined WOC would do with today’s program.

And if this is the case, that should be an important reason to go for a split WOC..? The need for new disciplines is also a more difficult question to answer. The two new sprint disciplines (Sprint relay and KnockOut-sprint) will both potentially make it easier for developing orienteering nations to fight higher on the results lists – and the (short) chasing start might give excitement which can be beneficial for TV broadcasts in the future. Seen from the smaller nations view, there is still a problem with the qualification scheme, though. This is also recognized in the suggested proposal, which states We recognize that exact qualification rules need further development and feel that this can be achieved within a reasonable timeframe for a future WOC program. There seems to be agreement that qualifications races, as currently run at WOC, can be removed from the program. But none of the qualification methods presented so far have received broad agreement among member federations. A result of the suggested program & qualification scheme for the Forest-WOC is, as far as I can see, that only around 12 countries will have a reason to have more than 1+1 runners present for more than the last weekend (which contains the chasing start and the relay).

This can be seen as positive (lower cost for these nations, larger chance that they send a full 3+3 team for the last weekend), but would probably be seen more as negative by the smaller nations as it could reduce the value of the Forest-WOC for many of the smaller nations. For the majority of runners present at the Forest-WOC (assuming the same number of participants as today) there would now only be two races to start in. The proposal by the Nordic countries however opens for more runners in the final by stating “Based upon feedback from TV producers we also feel that qualification rules can be quite generous as long as the use of seeded starting groups, with the best ranked runners starting at the end of the starting field, are established” – and there is also a proposal for a IOF working group, led by Council, to define exact qualification rules. Conclusions & Your opinion The conclusion: Splitting the WOC in two separate parts is a complex matter – and I feel that it has too many good sides to be dismissed without a being handled properly.

I therefore welcome the proposal from the Nordic countries, and feel that the best way forward would be that an IOF working group should be formed to evaluate the consequences of a split WOC, to define the disciplines to be included, to define the qualification scheme and to define test events for the new suggested disciplines and put these test events on the international fixtures list. What is your opinon? Do you welcome a split WOC model? Read more Orienteer - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki Advertisements Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Did you know ... (Redirected to Orienteering article) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the sport of orienteering. For the way it is practiced in scouting and the armed forces, see Orienteering (scoutcraft) The international orienteering symbol Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain.

Participants are given a map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map , which they use to find control points . [1] Originally a training exercise in land navigation for military officers, orienteering has developed many variations. Among these, the oldest and the most popular is foot orienteering . For the purposes of this article, foot orienteering serves as a point of departure for discussion of all other variations, but basically any sport that involves racing against a clock and requires navigation using a map is a type of orienteering. Orienteering is included in the programs of world sporting events including the World Games [2] (see Orienteering at the World Games ) and World Police and Fire Games . [3] Contents Orienteering sports Mountain bike orienteering Orienteering sports combine significant navigation with a specific method of travel. Because the method of travel determines the needed equipment and tactics, each sport requires specific rules for competition and guidelines for orienteering event logistics and course design. Adventure racing is a combination of two or more disciplines, that usually includes orienteering as part of the race .

Governing bodies Advertisements International At international level, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) [4] defines rules and guidelines [5] which govern four orienteering sports: foot orienteering , mountain bike orienteering , ski orienteering , and trail orienteering . [6] It is based in Finland [7] and it claims on its website to aim to "spread the sport of orienteering, to promote its development and to create and maintain an attractive world event programme." [8] Since 1977 the IOF has been recognised by the IOC [9] National See also: International Orienteering Federation Members There are governing bodies for most of the individual nations that are represented in the sport of orienteering. These national bodies are the rule-making body for that nation. For example the British Orienteering Federation is the national governing body for the United Kingdom . The federation was founded in 1967 and it is made up of 13 constituent associations. [10] Regional Most nations have some form of regional governing bodies.

These are not rule-making bodies but are there to assist in coordinating clubs within that region, e.g., they may allocate dates so that clubs do not clash with their events. Local See also: Orienteering clubs Small child orienteering Clubs are usually formed at a local level and affiliated to their national governing body. It is clubs who put on events usually open to all-comers. Clubs may also put on practice, training, and social events. Open clubs are open to anyone and there is usually no restriction on joining them. Closed clubs restrict their membership to specific groups. For example BAOC (British Army Orienteering Club) [11] has restrictions on who may join, principally British Army personnel. Related sports Main article: History of orienteering The history of orienteering begins in the late 19th century in Sweden , the actual term "orienteering" was first used in 1886 and meant the crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass. [14] In Sweden, orienteering grew from military training in land navigation into a competitive sport for military officers, then for civilians.

The first orienteering competition open to the public was held in Norway in 1897. [14] From the beginning, locations selected for orienteering have been chosen in part for their beauty, natural or man made. For the first public orienteering competition in Sweden, in 1901, control points included two historic churches, Spånga kyrka and Bromma kyrka (a round church ). [15] World Orienteering Championships 2007 in Kiev , Ukraine . Winners of middle-distance event: Simone Niggli-Luder , Switzerland , and Thierry Gueorgiou , France With the invention of inexpensive yet reliable compasses, the sport gained popularity during the 1930s. By 1934, over a quarter million Swedes were participants, and orienteering had spread to Finland , Switzerland , the Soviet Union , and Hungary . Following World War II , orienteering spread throughout Europe and to Asia, North America and Oceania. In Sweden in 1959, an international orienteering conference was held.

Representatives from 12 countries ( Austria , Bulgaria , Czechoslovakia , Denmark , Finland , East and West Germany , Hungary , Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Yugoslavia ) participated. [14] In 1961, orienteering organizations representing 10 European nations founded the International Orienteering Federation (IOF). Since then, IOF has supported the founding of many national orienteering federations. By 2006, 67 national orienteering federations were member societies of the International Orienteering Federation . [16] These federations enabled the development of national and world championships. World championships were held every two years until 2003, then every year. [17] Throughout this time, orienteering has remained most popular in Sweden. There, the two oldest recurring orienteering meets have been held since the 1940s, and the single largest orienteering meet has been held every year since 1965 and attracts around 15,000 competitors (see Jukola relay , Tiomila , and O-Ringen ).

[18] Competition and results An orienteer at a control point An orienteer navigates while running The competition, or race, is intended to test 'the navigational skill, concentration, and running ability of the competitors'. High levels of fitness and running speed are required to compete successfully at an international or elite level. To ensure fairness between competitors the map is not usually provided until the start, and starts are normally staggered with competitors starting at not less than one-minute intervals. [19] The objective on each leg is to follow the fastest route between controls. The fastest is not always the shortest route, and can depend heavily on route choice . [20] Map An orienteering map Detail of an orienteering map: the course shall be overprinted in PMS purple Orienteering competitions use specially prepared orienteering maps . They are topographic maps although much more detailed than general-purpose maps. The scales are 1:15,000 or 1:10,000, with grids aligned to magnetic north . Map symbols are standardized by the IOF [21] , and designed to be readable by any competitor no matter his background or native tongue.

Courses An example of how control points are shown on an orienteering map Orienteering events offer a range of courses, of varying physical and technical difficulty, to meet the needs of competitors. The orienteering course is marked in purple or red on a map. [22] A triangle is used to indicate the start and a double circle indicates the finish. Circles are used to show the control points. [23] Age related classes At international, national, and the larger events courses are classified by age, e.g., M35 for men 35 years of age and older. Classes are usually combined into a smaller number of courses, e.g., M60 will normally share a course with W50, and often with M65 and W55. The results are normally arranged by class. [24] Ability based courses In the smaller events courses are provided by ability. The United States [23] [25] and the United Kingdom , use colour-coded courses to define the difficulty of the courses. Short, easy courses are provided for beginners and the younger competitors, with technically and physically demanding courses being provided for the experienced orienteers.

[26] Permanent courses and other events Some orienteering clubs have set up permanent courses, which can be used for personal, or club, training. Non-standard permanent markers are used as control kites, and maps of the courses are usually available publicly for a fee. [27] The courses are usually set up in public areas and there may be some restrictions on access, e.g., daylight hours only. Clubs also organise informal events for practice and training. [28] Controls and control description sheet Control description sheet (pictorial) Control points are placed on features on the map that can be clearly identified on the ground. Control points are marked in the terrain by white and orange "flags". Competitors receive a "control description sheet" or "clue sheet" which gives a precise description of the feature and the location of the kite, e.g., boulder, 5m, north side. For experienced orienteers the descriptions use symbols (pictorial), in accordance with the IOF Control descriptions. [29] Control card and punching Each competitor is required to carry a control card, and to present it at the Start and hand it in at the Finish.

The control card is marked by some means at each control point to show that the competitor has completed the course correctly. Most events now use electronic punching , although cards and needle punches are still widely used. [30] Results The winner is normally the competitor with the fastest time, but other scoring systems can be used, e.g., score events and Trail-O. Results are rarely produced 'on the day', although provisional results may be available. Most events publish the draft results on the Internet that night, with final results being confirmed a few days later. With electronic punching [31] the results can include split times for competitors. These show the times between controls and aggregate times to each control. With suitable computer software these times can be displayed in a graphical form (Progressograph). [32] Safety Each competitor is responsible for his own safety. There are no rules, but there are guidelines, which should be followed. The basic safety check is the stub check. The competitor hands in his stub at the start and his control card at the finish. Event officials match the two and any unmatched stubs represent a missing competitor. With electronic punching event officials can request a ‘did not finish’ report.

All competitors must report to the finish whether they have completed the course or not. [19] [23] Personal clothing IOF rule 21.1 is that the specification for clothing is delegated to the national organising body. [33] UK rule 7.1.1 requires full body cover: the torso and legs must be covered. [34] The organiser may allow shorts, e.g., in park or street orienteering. The early competitors used standard athletic clothing, i.e., shorts and an athletic vest, which provided little protection for racing through undergrowth . Purpose-made lightweight nylon full-body suits were later adopted. The early O-suits were made in muted colours but modern suits are generally multi-coloured. Clubs often organise the bulk purchase of clothing, which are then made in the club colours with the club’s name prominently displayed. Some competitors prefer lycra tights or leggings. Gaiters are also often worn. Lightweight studded (and often cleated) orienteering shoes are commonly used. Personal equipment Thumb compass and protractor compass The basic equipment required for orienteering is usually listed as a compass and appropriate outdoor clothing.

Some national bodies such as the UK [34] recommend that a whistle be carried for safety . Competitive orienteers usually use specialized equipment: Foot orienteer wearing eye protectors ARDF orienteer wearing a map board on his left arm Ski orienteer wearing a map board on a torso harness Mountain bike orienteer with a map board on bike handlebars Competition types Foot-O relay, hand-off just completed Classic Classic orienteering involves a race between controls in a preset order. The winner is the person who completes the course in the shortest time. Courses are normally designed so that the fastest route is not straightforward to find on the map, or to follow on the ground. Relay A relay race is run by a team of competitors each running a course, and the result is based on the team's total time. Relays usually employ a mass start instead of a staggered start. To reduce competitors following each other, parallel courses are provided. For a team of three: three courses could be provided (a, b, c) with each of the team members running one course. To prevent following, teams run the courses in different orders, e.g., abc, bca, cab. In the larger events these courses cross over and have a common control.

Those courses can then be split into two parts, e.g., a, b, c and x, y, z. Each team has to run all six parts but competitors run one of nine different combinations, e.g., ax, ay, az … cx, cy, cz”. [35] Score Sprint distance racing at Istanbul 5-day event. Competitors visit as many controls as possible within a time limit. There is usually a mass start (rather than staggered), with a time limit. Controls may have different point values depending on difficulty, and there is a point penalty for each minute late. The competitor with the most points is the winner. The large-scale, endurance-style version of a Score-O is known as a rogaine , competed by teams in events lasting (often) 24 hours. A very large area is used for competition, and the map scale is smaller. The format originated in Australia. The term ROGAINE is often said to stand for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance; this is essentially a backronym , as the name actually originates from the names of Rod, Gail and Neil Phillips, who were among Australian Rogaining's first participants.

[36] Sprint Shorter events, often held in city parks and other more urban settings. Map scales are usually 1:5,000 or 1:4,000. Control sites can include benches, litterbins, sculptures, and other objects common to urban parks. [37] Ultrasprint Ultrasprint events are held in a specially constructed labyrinth. Due to the limited area of the labyrinth, ultrasprint is a more spectator-friendly form of orienteering. Also, as the course is artificial, identical courses can be set in different geographical locations for simultaneous local competitions as parts of a larger tournament. Night Studying the map at the start of a night-o Competitors use a headlamp to navigate in the dark. Reflective markers often are used on control point flags, which shifts the tactics from precision navigation to searching. Competitors can travel at high speed to the vicinity of the control point, then sweep the area with the light to catch a reflection off the control flag. If a night event starts before dark, a mass start must be used so all competitors have equal time in the light and dark. The two classic club relays, Tiomila and Jukola , both include night legs.

[38] Full length (24 hour) rogaines and many adventure races run through the night, without a dark period, and competitors may choose not to rest. String Competitors follow a string around a short course, noting down things that they find on the way. This is generally used by young children and people new to the sport who want to find out what it is like. [39] Precision Precision orienteering generally is not a speed event, but rather a test of the competitors' ability to precisely match map and terrain. Examples include trail-O (untimed), TREC style mounted orienteering , and Radio Orienteering in a Compact Area (ROCA). Both trail-O and ROCA use decoys in the vicinity of the control point. Orienteering and the Olympics Efforts begun in 1996 to promote the inclusion of orienteering in the Olympic Games have so far been unsuccessful, although orienteering became a sport in the World Games in 2001, and is a sport in the Summer Deaflympics .

Supporters recognize that the sport is neither television- nor spectator-friendly, the venue of competition is often necessarily remote from major cities, and the duration of the event is longer than most other individual competitions. [40] Efforts to develop a format suitable for Olympic competitions have focused on park orienteering, micro-orienteering, and short-distance relays. Sprint Orienteering on foot as a format of the sport is most likely to be included in Olympic Games, as this discipline is becoming more and more popular worldwide and can have a significant spectator interest. According to the website of a Chicago Orienteering club, "the International Orienteering Federation is committed to entering the Olympic World." [41] A ski orienteering competitor. Although not an official demonstration sport , an international ski-orienteering event was held in Sugadaira, Japan, as part of the International Cultural Festival held in conjunction with the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998. [42] The International Orienteering Federation petitioned the International Olympic Committee in 2002 to include ski orienteering in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games , noting that it could share the venue with the biathlon competitions.

[43] In its formal recommendation that ski orienteering not be included in those games, the Olympic Programme Commission focused on a lack of participation in the sport outside Nordic countries , "the challenges for broadcasters and spectators to easily follow the competition", and the costs associated with new technology and a new results system. [44 ] In 2005, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that ski orienteering was under consideration for inclusion in the review process of the Olympic sport program for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games . [45] On November 28, 2006, the Executive Board of the IOC decided not to include any new sports, among them ski orienteering, into this review process. [46] See also orienteering : definition of orienteering and synonyms of orienteering (English) Adventure racing is a combination of two or more disciplines, that usually includes orienteering as part of the race .

Governing bodies International At international level, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) [4] defines rules and guidelines [5] which govern four orienteering sports: foot orienteering , mountain bike orienteering , ski orienteering , and trail orienteering . [6] It is based in Finland [7] and it claims on its website to aim to "spread the sport of orienteering, to promote its development and to create and maintain an attractive world event programme." [8] Since 1977 the IOF has been recognised by the IOC [9] National See also: International Orienteering Federation Members There are governing bodies for most of the individual nations that are represented in the sport of orienteering. These national bodies are the rule-making body for that nation. For example the British Orienteering Federation is the national governing body for the United Kingdom . The federation was founded in 1967 and it is made up of 13 constituent associations. [10] Regional Most nations have some form of regional governing bodies.

These are not rule-making bodies but are there to assist in coordinating clubs within that region, e.g., they may allocate dates so that clubs do not clash with their events. Local See also: Orienteering clubs Clubs are usually formed at a local level and affiliated to their national governing body. It is clubs who put on events usually open to all-comers. Clubs may also put on practice, training, and social events. Open clubs are open to anyone and there is usually no restriction on joining them. Closed clubs restrict their membership to specific groups. For example BAOC (British Army Orienteering Club) [11] has restrictions on who may join, principally British Army personnel. Related sports Main article: History of orienteering The history of orienteering begins in the late 19th century in Sweden , the actual term "orientering" (the original Swedish name for orienteering) was first used in 1886 and meant the crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass. [14] In Sweden, orienteering grew from military training in land navigation into a competitive sport for military officers, then for civilians. The name is derived from a word root meaning to find the direction or location.

The first orienteering competition open to the public was held in Norway in 1897. [14] From the beginning, locations selected for orienteering have been chosen in part for their beauty, natural or man made. For the first public orienteering competition in Sweden, in 1901, control points included two historic churches, Spånga kyrka and Bromma kyrka (a round church ). [15] World Orienteering Championships 2007 in Kiev , Ukraine . Winners of middle-distance event: Simone Niggli-Luder , Switzerland , and Thierry Gueorgiou , France With the invention of inexpensive yet reliable compasses, the sport gained popularity during the 1930s. By 1934, over a quarter million Swedes were participants, and orienteering had spread to Finland , Switzerland , the Soviet Union , and Hungary . Following World War II , orienteering spread throughout Europe and to Asia, North America and Oceania. In Sweden in 1959, an international orienteering conference was held.

Representatives from 12 countries ( Austria , Bulgaria , Czechoslovakia , Denmark , Finland , East and West Germany , Hungary , Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Yugoslavia ) participated. [14] In 1961, orienteering organizations representing 10 European nations founded the International Orienteering Federation (IOF). Since then, IOF has supported the founding of many national orienteering federations. By 2010, 71 national orienteering federations were member societies of the International Orienteering Federation . [16] These federations enabled the development of national and world championships. World championships were held every two years until 2003, then every year. [17] Throughout this time, orienteering has remained most popular in Scandinavia . There, the two oldest recurring orienteering meets have been held since the 1940s ( Jukola relay and Tiomila ), and the single largest orienteering meet has been held every year since 1965 and attracts around 15,000 competitors ( O-Ringen ). [18] Typically, orienteering is run in wild terrain.

In its Scandinavian origins, this typically meant in the forest , but orienteering in open fell , heathland , moorland and other mixed terrain is also common. Orienteering in towns has been common for many years. Street-O has typically been a low-key affair; score events, often at night, normally as informal training events. The Venice street-O is notable for attracting a large international participation. With Park World Tour [19] races and other (e.g. World championships) elite sprint races often being held in urban areas, and the development of a map specification for urban areas (ISSOM), from the mid-2000s, Street-O has been rebranded as urban orienteering, and has taken itself rather more seriously, with full colour maps and electronic punching, and may now be regarded as a serious competition with inclusion in national ranking lists. [20] Such urban races are often much longer than the sprint distance. Competition and results An orienteer at a control point An orienteer navigates while running The competition, or race, is intended to test 'the navigational skill, concentration, and running ability of the competitors'.

High levels of fitness and running speed are required to compete successfully at an international or elite level. To ensure fairness between competitors the map is not usually provided until the start, and starts are normally staggered with competitors starting at not less than one-minute intervals. [21] The objective on each leg is to follow the fastest route between controls. The fastest is not always the shortest route, and can depend heavily on route choice . [22] Map An orienteering map Orienteering competitions use specially prepared orienteering maps . They are topographic maps although much more detailed than general-purpose maps. The ISOM map scales are 1:15,000 or 1:10,000, with grids aligned to magnetic north . Map symbols are standardized by the IOF, [23] and designed to be readable by any competitor no matter his background or native tongue. Courses An example of how control points are shown on an orienteering map Orienteering events offer a range of courses, of varying physical and technical difficulty, to meet the needs of competitors. The orienteering course is marked in purple or red on a map.

[24] A triangle is used to indicate the start and a double circle indicates the finish. Circles are used to show the control points. [25] Age-related classes At international, national, and the larger events courses are classified by age, e.g., M35 for men 35 years of age and older. Classes requiring similar distances are usually combined into a smaller number of courses, e.g., M60 will normally share a course with W50, and often with M65 and W55. The results are normally arranged by class. [26] Ability-based courses In the smaller events courses are provided by ability. The United States [25] [27] and the United Kingdom , use colour-coded courses to define the difficulty of the courses. Short, easy courses are provided for beginners and the younger competitors, with technically and physically demanding courses being provided for the experienced orienteers. [28] Permanent courses and other events Some orienteering clubs have set up permanent courses, which can be used for personal, or club, training. Non-standard permanent markers are used as control kites, and maps of the courses are usually available publicly for a fee.

[29] The courses are usually set up in public areas and there may be some restrictions on access, e.g., daylight hours only. Clubs also organise informal events for practice and training. [30] Controls and control description sheet Control description sheet (pictorial) Control points are placed on features on the map that can be clearly identified on the ground. Control points are marked in the terrain by white and orange "flags". Competitors receive a "control description sheet" or "clue sheet" which gives a precise description of the feature and the location of the kite, e.g., boulder, 5m, north side. For experienced orienteers the descriptions use symbols (pictorial), in accordance with the IOF Control descriptions. [31] Control card and punching Each competitor is required to carry an electronic or paper control card, and to present it at the Start and hand it in at the Finish. The control card is marked by some means at each control point to show that the competitor has completed the course correctly. Most events now use electronic punching , although cards and needle punches are still widely used.

[32] Results The winner is normally the competitor with the fastest time, but other scoring systems can be used, e.g., score events and Trail-O. Most events produce provisional results 'on the day', with draft results on the Internet that night; the final results being confirmed a few days later. With electronic punching [33] the results can include split times for competitors. These show the times between controls and aggregate times to each control. With suitable computer software these times can be displayed in a graphical form (Progressograph). [34] Safety Each competitor is responsible for their own safety. There are no rules, but there are guidelines, which should be followed. The basic safety check was the stub check. The competitor hands in his stub at the start and his control card at the finish. Event officials match the two and any unmatched stubs represent a missing competitor. This has been superseded with electronic punching in that event officials can now request a ‘still to finish’ report listing all those competitors who punched at the start but have not yet downloaded their electronic card. All competitors must report to the finish whether they have completed the course or not.

[21] [25] Personal clothing IOF rule 21.1 is that the specification for clothing is delegated to the national organising body. [35] UK rule 7.1.1 requires full body cover: the torso and legs must be covered. [36] The organiser may allow shorts, e.g., in park or street orienteering. The early competitors used standard athletic clothing, i.e., shorts and an athletic vest, which provided little protection for racing through undergrowth . Purpose-made lightweight nylon full-body suits were later adopted. The early O-suits were made in muted colours but modern suits are generally multi-coloured. Clubs often organise the bulk purchase of clothing, which are then made in the club colours with the club’s name prominently displayed. Some competitors prefer lycra tights or leggings. Gaiters are also often worn. Lightweight studded (and often cleated) orienteering shoes are commonly used. Personal equipment Thumb compass and protractor compass The basic equipment required for orienteering is usually listed as a compass and appropriate outdoor clothing. Some national bodies such as the UK [36] recommend that a whistle be carried for safety .

Competitive orienteers usually use specialized equipment: Foot orienteer wearing eye protectors ARDF orienteer wearing a map board on his left arm Ski orienteer wearing a map board on a torso harness Mountain bike orienteer with a map board on bike handlebars Competition types Foot-O relay, the winner crosses the line - joined by the rest of his team Classic Classic orienteering involves a race between controls in a preset order. The winner is the person who completes the course in the shortest time. This is called a "cross-country" course as distinct from a score course (see below). Courses are normally designed so that the fastest route is not straightforward to find on the map, or to follow on the ground. The classic race has a typical winning time of 75-90 mins. As of 2007, the IOF have dictated that the "classic" course should be redesignated the "long". Middle The middle distance is a shorter cross-country race than the classic (or long), with a winning time in the region of 30 mins and with an emphasis more on fine navigation than route-choice.

When races of this distance were run in the mid-late 1990s, they were called "short" races, or "sprint-O". The short distance was introduced as a world champtionship discipline in 1997. More recently, though the IOF have renamed this distance as "middle". Relay A relay race is run by a team of competitors each running a course, and the result is based on the team's total time. Relays usually employ a mass start instead of a staggered start. To reduce competitors following each other, various spreading methods might be used. This is called "gaffling", which is a Swedish word meaning "forking". The key principle is that every team must run every leg (between each pair of two controls), but not necessarily in the same order. The IOF have introduced the nomenclature to try to clarify the usage of the word "leg". In orienteering usage, leg normally refers to the part of a race between two control points. In relay (non-orienteering) usage, leg refers to the part of a race run by a single team member.

The IOF prefer "lap" for this latter term, but despite this, in common parlance, "leg" is used for both terms. Score Competitors visit as many controls as possible within a time limit. There is usually a mass start (rather than staggered), with a time limit. Controls may have different point values depending on difficulty, and there is a point penalty for each minute late. The competitor with the most points is the winner. The large-scale, endurance-style version of a Score-O is known as a rogaine , competed by teams in events lasting (often) 24 hours. A very large area is used for competition, and the map scale is smaller. The format originated in Australia. The term ROGAINE is often said to stand for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance; this is essentially a backronym , as the name actually originates from the names of Rod, Gail and Neil Phillips, who were among Australian Rogaining's first participants. [37] Sprint Very short races, with winning times in the region of 12-15 mins, often held in city parks and other more urban settings.

Map scales are usually 1:5,000 or 1:4,000. Control sites can include benches, litterbins, sculptures, and other objects common to urban parks. [38] The sprint distance may also be held in the forest, when it would be called a "forest sprint" as opposed to an "urban sprint". This distance was pioneered in the late 1990s as an elite event by the Park World Tour organisation who organised an independent "world cup" in park sprint orienteering. In 2001 in Tampere, the IOF included a sprint distance in the orienteering world championships. Ultrasprint Ultrasprint events are held in a specially constructed labyrinth. Due to the limited area of the labyrinth, ultrasprint is a more spectator-friendly form of orienteering. Also, as the course is artificial, identical courses can be set in different geographical locations for simultaneous local competitions as parts of a larger tournament. Night Studying the map at the start of a night-o Competitors use a headlamp to navigate in the dark. Reflective markers often are used on control point flags, which shifts the tactics from precision navigation to searching.

Competitors can travel at high speed to the vicinity of the control point, then sweep the area with the light to catch a reflection off the control flag. If a night event starts before dark, a mass start must be used so all competitors have equal time in the light and dark. The two classic club relays, Tiomila and Jukola , both include night legs. [39] Full length (24 hour) rogaines and many adventure races run through the night, without a dark period , and competitors may choose not to rest. String Competitors follow a string around a short course, noting down things that they find on the way. This is generally used by young children and people new to the sport who want to find out what it is like. [40] Precision Precision orienteering generally is not a speed event, but rather a test of the competitors' ability to precisely match map and terrain. Examples include trail-O (untimed), TREC style mounted orienteering , and Radio Orienteering in a Compact Area (ROCA). Both trail-O and ROCA use decoys in the vicinity of the control point.

Orienteering and the Olympics Efforts begun in 1996 to promote the inclusion of orienteering in the Olympic Games have so far been unsuccessful, although orienteering became a sport in the World Games in 2001, and is a sport in the Summer Deaflympics . Supporters recognize that the sport is neither television- nor spectator-friendly, the venue of competition is often necessarily remote from major cities, and the duration of the event is longer than most other individual competitions. [41] Efforts to develop a format suitable for Olympic competitions have focused on park orienteering, micro-orienteering, and short-distance relays. Sprint Orienteering on foot as a format of the sport is most likely to be included in Olympic Games, as this discipline is becoming more and more popular worldwide and can have a significant spectator interest.

According to the website of a Chicago Orienteering club, "the International Orienteering Federation is committed to entering the Olympic World." [42] Although not an official demonstration sport , an international ski-orienteering event was held in Sugadaira Kōgen , Japan , as part of the International Cultural Festival held in conjunction with the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998. [43] The International Orienteering Federation petitioned the International Olympic Committee in 2002 to include ski orienteering in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games , noting that it could share the venue with the biathlon competitions. [44] In its formal recommendation that ski orienteering not be included in those games, the Olympic Programme Commission focused on a lack of participation in the sport outside Nordic countries , "the challenges for broadcasters and spectators to easily follow the competition", and the costs associated with new technology and a new results system. [45] In 2005, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that ski orienteering was under consideration for inclusion in the review process of the Olympic sport program for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games .

[46] On November 28, 2006, the Executive Board of the IOC decided not to include any new sports, among them ski orienteering, into this review process. [47] See also

Question: The first official World Cup for which sport, that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, was held in 1986?
Answer: Orienteering