Orienteering Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Orienteering Federation (COF), is the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is recognized by the

International Orienteering Federation The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. The IOF head office is located in Karlstad Municipality, Karlstad, Sweden. The IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orie ...

, of which it is a member.

History

Orienteering Canada, was founded in 1967 as the Canadian Orienteering Federation and initially consisted of three member associations, those of Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. The following year, Orienteering Canada became a member of the

and the first Canadian Orienteering Championships were held in

Gatineau Park Gatineau Park () is a federal park located in the Outaouais, Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a wedge ...

, Quebec on August 10. In 1972, Canada sent its first team to the

World Orienteering Championships The World Orienteering Championships (often abbreviated as WOC) is an international orienteering competition which has been organized by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) since 1966. The World Orienteering Championships is considere ...

(WOC) in Staré Splavy,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. By 1975, Orienteering Canada consisted of 8 provincial associations. As of 2024, there are eight provincial associations and one territorial association. In 1976, Orienteering Quebec organized "O' Ring", the first international orienteering competition held outside of Europe which attracted over 900 participants. In 2012, the organization formally changed its name to Orienteering Canada. On top of organizing the Canadian Orienteering Championships each year, Orienteering Canada has hosted several major orienteering competitions including the

Orienteering World Cup The Orienteering World Cup is a series of orienteering competitions organized annually by the International Orienteering Federation. Two unofficial cups were organized in 1983 and 1984. The official World Cup was held first in 1986, and then every ...

(1978, 1990, 1992), the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships (1990, 2002), and the North American Orienteering Championships which they have hosted every four years since 1973.

Affiliated clubs

Current

*Chapter of Orienteering New Brunswick

Defunct

References

External links

Official website of Orienteering Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Orienteering Federation National members of the International Orienteering Federation

Orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...