Foot orienteering (usually referred to as simply Orienteering or FootO for short) is the oldest formal

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 ...

sport, and the one with the most "starts" per year. Usually, a FootO is a timed race in which participants start at staggered intervals, are individually

time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

d, and are expected to perform all

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

on their own. The control points are shown on the

orienteering map An orienteering map is a map specially prepared for use in orienteering events. It is a large-scale topographic map with extra markings to help the participant navigation, navigate through the course. These maps are much more detailed than general ...

and must be visited in the specified order. Standings are determined first by successful completion of the course, then by shortest time on course. FootO is one of four orienteering disciplines governed 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 ...

History

The history of orienteering began in the late 19th century in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. 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. The first orienteering competition open to the public was held in Norway in 1897. Notable dates for member nations of the IOF are shown below.

Formats

The official formats in 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 ...

, which is followed by most regional and national championships, include the following:

Long distance

The long distance competition, previously called the classic distance competition, is the longest and toughest individual competition. Long competitions are held in forest, with expected winning time of 90–100 minutes for men and 70–80 minutes for women, in physically demanding terrain with large-scale route choices and varying scale of technical difficulties.

Middle distance

The middle distance competition, previously called the short distance competition, is a relatively shorter race held in forest, with expected winning time of 30–35 minutes in technically complex terrain.

Sprint

Sprint competitions are high-speed competitions held in urban areas, which is technically easy but with difficult route choices. The expected winning time is 12–15 minutes.

Relay

The relay, composed of teams of 3, is a

mass start Mass start is a format of starting in some racing sports such as long-distance running in sport of athletics, speed skating, long-distance cross-country skiing and biathlon. There are usually many competitors in such an event, and in order for ...

event where different runners are separated by means of forking. The finish order is directly determined at the finish line.

Sprint relay

The sprint relay is run by teams of 4, where the first and the last must be women, in urban areas with

and forking. It is an exciting and television-friendly event where the runners compete head-to-head at a high-speed.

Knock-Out Sprint

Knock-Out sprint (KO-Sprint) is the newest form urban orienteering to be added to international competition. It consists of a short qualifier race of around 10–12 minutes to determine the seeding for a subsequent series of very short

elimination races of around 6–8 minutes. These elimination races normally consist of six runner with the top two or three progressing, and can contain gaffling, loops, or runner's choice selection. Similar to the sprint relay, it is high paced and television friendly, with the elimination rounds happening quickly one after another.

IOF events

World championships

The

are held annually. ,

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

has been dominant.

International championships

Junior World Orienteering Championships The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) are an annual orienteering competition. They were first held in 1990. Entry is open to national teams aged 20 and below as of 31 December in the year of competition. Representative countries mu ...

* World Masters Orienteering Championships * European Orienteering Championships

References

Orienteering

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 ...

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