Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map , usually a specially prepared orienteering map , which they use to find control points . 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 almost any sport that involves racing against a clock and requires navigation with a map is a type of orienteering.
58-414: Rogaining is an orienteering sport of long distance cross-country navigation , involving both route planning and navigation between checkpoints using a variety of map types. In a rogaine, teams of two to five people choose which checkpoints to visit within a time limit with the intent of maximising their score. Teamwork, endurance, competition and an appreciation for the natural environment are features of
116-441: A whistle be carried for safety reasons. Competitive orienteers usually use specialized equipment: Orienteering events can be classified in many different aspects: 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
174-502: 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 . Each competitor is required to carry an electronic or paper control card, and to present it at the Start and hand it in at
232-454: A "hash house" provides hot meals throughout the event and teams may return at any time to eat, rest or sleep. Teams travel at their own pace and participants can practise cross-country navigation at their own level of competition and comfort. Team members stay within earshot of each other. The duration of a championship rogaine is 24 hours, but shorter variations such as 3-, 6-, 8-, 12- and 15-hour events are also held (sometimes concurrently with
290-574: A 24-hour event). Depending on the terrain, experienced rogaining teams can cover more than one hundred kilometres (62 mi) over the 24-hour period. There have also been longer events (dubbed "Endurogaines") lasting 48 and 50 hours. In their native Australia, rogaines are usually held every month during weekends near full moons, with annual state championships and an annual national championship. They require dozens of volunteers to run, including course setters and caterers and are often attended by hundreds of participants. A competitive 24-hour rogaine requires
348-571: 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
406-458: A larger tournament. 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
464-473: 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) has restrictions on who may join, principally British Army personnel. The competition, or race,
522-458: A map area of around 250 km (97 sq mi), for relatively flat terrain; terrain with significant climbs may require far less or far more area, depending on the placement of checkpoints. Other forms of rogaining are popular, particularly in Australia during the months when normal rogaines are not held because of the weather. Popular variations include: Orienteering Orienteering
580-423: 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. Such urban races are often much longer than the sprint distance. Orienteering sports combine significant navigation with
638-649: A new results system. 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 . On 28 November 2006, the Executive Board of the IOC decided not to include any new sports in this review process. The World Orienteering Championships (WOC) is an annual event organised by
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#1733085972284696-520: A part of the Swedish Union . 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 ). With the invention of inexpensive yet reliable compasses, the sport gained popularity during
754-469: 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. International Orienteering Federation , the governing body of the sport, currently sanctions the following four disciplines as official disciplines in the sport of orienteering: Moreover, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) sanctions
812-406: 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
870-401: Is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training , proceeds to education and training specific to military roles, and sometimes includes additional training during a military career. Directing staff are the military personnel who comprise
928-410: 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 races and other (e.g. World championships) elite sprint races often being held in urban areas, and the development of
986-478: Is based in Sweden 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." Since 1977 the IOF has been recognised by the IOC . 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,
1044-810: Is committed to entering the Olympic World." 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. The International Orienteering Federation petitioned the International Olympic Committee in 2002 to include ski orienteering in
1102-634: Is included in the programs of world sporting events including the World Games (see Orienteering at the World Games ) and World Police and Fire Games . The history of orienteering begins in the late 19th century in Sweden . The actual term "orientering" (the original Swedish name for orienteering, lits. "orientation") was first used in 1886 at the Swedish Military Academy Karlberg and meant
1160-430: 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. The objective on each leg
1218-413: Is like. 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. Efforts begun in 1996 to promote the inclusion of orienteering in
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#17330859722841276-420: Is to follow the fastest route between controls. The fastest is not always the shortest route, and can depend heavily on route choice . 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, 1:10,000, or 1:7,500, with grids aligned to magnetic north . Map symbols are standardized by
1334-415: 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. Very short races, with winning times in
1392-499: The 2006 Winter Olympic Games , noting that it could share the venue with the biathlon competitions. 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
1450-705: 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. For the United States , the national governing body is Orienteering USA . 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. Clubs are usually formed at
1508-628: 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 . These federations enabled the development of national and world championships. World championships were held every two years until 2003, then every year. Throughout this time, orienteering has remained most popular in Scandinavia . There,
1566-563: The International Orienteering Federation . The first World Championships was held in Fiskars , Finland in 1966. They were held biennially up to 2003 (with the exception of 1978 and 1979). Since 2003, competitions have been held annually. The format of the World Orienteering Championships alternates every 2 years, with even years hosting sprint format events and odd years hosting forest format events. As of 2019 , when applying
1624-535: 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. Efforts to develop
1682-658: The Surrey-Thomas Rover Crew which organised the world's first rogaine. The name was formally adopted by the Victorian Rogaining Association at its inaugural annual general meeting in August 1976 and accepted by Scouts Australia and University bushwalking groups to give the new sport an identity in its own right. World Rogaining Championships were first held in 1992, and then every two years from 1996 to 2012. Since then they have been held annually, with
1740-544: The United Kingdom use colour coding to define the difficulty of the courses. Short, easy courses are provided for beginners and younger competitors, with technically and physically demanding courses being provided for experienced orienteers. Ranging from easy and short to long and technical, there are; White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green, Green, Blue and Brown. 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
1798-660: 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. In 1961, orienteering organizations representing 10 European nations founded
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1856-465: 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. 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
1914-402: The IOF, and designed to be readable by any competitor regardless of background or native tongue. 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. A triangle is used to indicate the start and a double circle indicates the finish. Circles are used to show
1972-607: The Olympic-style gold first rankings method to medals won at the World Orienteering Championships, Europe has been dominant, with Sweden 's 171 medals won marking them as the most successful world championships nation. Orienteering has been a part of the World Games program since 2001. As Orienteering is a sport practiced primarily in Europe, the European Orienteering Championships is also an important event in
2030-627: 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 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
2088-508: The United States, rule A.34.1 states that competitors are free to choose clothing that they are most comfortable in (full leg cover is not required), unless specifically stated in the meet announcement. In Australia, under the 2021 rules, 2.1.21, the choice of clothing is also left up to the competitor, and full leg cover is not required. In Canada, no specific clothing is required, but participants are encouraged to wear clothing suitable for
2146-426: 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. The basic equipment required for orienteering is usually listed as a compass and appropriate outdoor clothing. Most national bodies recommend that
2204-481: The capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. The primary and initial form of military training, recruit training , makes use of various conditioning techniques to resocialize trainees into a military system, to ensure that they will obey all orders without hesitation, and to teach basic military skills. Resocialization as a sociological concept involves the process of mentally and emotionally "retraining" individuals so that they can operate in
2262-460: The control points. 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 and difficulties 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. In the smaller events courses are provided by ability. The United States and
2320-706: The country chosen two years in advance by the International Rogaining Federation . As of 2017 this has changed back again to every two years. Teams of two to five members visit as many checkpoints as possible in the time allowed. Shorter duration rogaines often allow solo competitors. Checkpoints are scored differently depending on level of difficulty in reaching them; therefore teams choose a strategy (for example, to visit many low score checkpoints). Teams travel entirely on foot, navigating by map and compass between checkpoints in terrain that varies from open farmland to hilly forest. A central base camp known as
2378-429: The courses are usually available publicly for a fee. 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. 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
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2436-454: The crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass. 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 civilian orienteering competition open to the public was held in Norway in 1897, when Norway was still
2494-570: The day', with draft results on the Internet that night; the final results being confirmed a few days later. With electronic punching 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). Each competitor is responsible for his or her own safety. There are no rules, but there are guidelines, which should be followed. The basic safety check
2552-479: 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 minutes. As of 2007, the IOF have dictated that the "classic" course should be redesignated the "long". The middle distance is a shorter cross-country race than the classic (or long), with a winning time in the region of 30 minutes and with an emphasis more on fine navigation than route-choice. When races of this distance were run in
2610-486: The finish whether they have completed the course or not. IOF rule 21.1 is that the specification for clothing is delegated to the national organising body, and no specific clothing is required. Unique among English speaking countries, Ireland and the UK require legs to be covered. Rule 7.1.1 requires full body cover : the torso and legs must be covered, while organizer may allow shorts (e.g., in park or street orienteering). In
2668-471: The following orienteering sport: Other orienteering disciplines include, but are not limited to: Adventure racing is a combination of two or more disciplines, and usually includes orienteering as part of the race . At international level, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) defines rules and guidelines which govern four orienteering sports: foot orienteering , mountain bike orienteering , ski orienteering , and trail orienteering . It
2726-422: The highest number of participating clubs 1,787 (in 2015), while 25-manna has the highest number of legs 25. 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
2784-459: The instructional staff at a military training institution. In some countries, military education and training are parts of the compulsory education. The organizers believe that military education can bring some benefits and experiences that cannot be obtained from normal class like setback education. Moreover, participants are able to learn survival skills during the military education, like co-operations and resilience, which help participants improve
2842-437: The light and dark. The two classic club relays, Tiomila and Jukola , both include night legs. Full length (24-hour) rogaines and many adventure races run through the night, without a light period, and competitors may choose not to rest. 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
2900-586: The mid-late 1990s, they were called "short" races, or "sprint-O". The short distance was introduced as a world championship discipline in 1991. More recently, though the IOF have renamed this distance as "middle". 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. Relays are part of World Orienteering Championships both as sprint relays and as cross-country relays. Additionally, there are popular mass club races out of which Jukola relay has
2958-420: 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. Competitors visit as many controls as possible within
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#17330859722843016-784: The orienteering calendar. As of 2021, the European Championships is held in tandem with the World Championships, with the European Championships hosting the Sprint events when the World Championships hosts the Forest events and vice versa. The annual Orienteering World Cup is hosted over a number of events throughout the year, with winners of the overall world cup being awarded following the final event. The World University Orienteering Championships are hosted biannually. Military education and training Military education and training
3074-424: The region of 12–15 minutes, 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. 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
3132-587: The sport. Championship rogaines are 24 hours long, but rogaines can be as short as two hours. Rogaining can trace its roots back to 1947 when the first of many events with some of the features of rogaines was organised by the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club. The events from the 1940s eventually led to the birth of the sport of rogaining in April 1976, in Melbourne , Australia . The sport
3190-435: 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 ). 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
3248-548: The weather, and hiking or running shoes. Similarly in New Zealand, there are no rules in force limiting orienteers to running only in full leg cover. 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
3306-477: Was named, rules were adopted and the world’s first rogaining association was formed (the Victorian Rogaining Association). Growth of the association and the sport occurred rapidly over the next decade. The word rogaining is derived from the names of three of the founders, Rod Phillips, Gail Davis (née Phillips) and Neil Phillips (RoGaiNe, hence "rogaining", "rogainer" etc.) who were all members of
3364-443: 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
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