NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Orienteering

Orienteering is a running sport involving navigation with a map and compass. The traditional form (sometimes referred to as "Foot Orienteering" or "Foot-O") involves cross-country running, though other forms have evolved. The competition is a timed race in which individual participants use a special purpose map and a magnetic compass to navigate through diverse terrain (often wooded) and visit, in sequence, control points that are indicated on the map. The course of control points is kept a secret from competitors before the start, when they are provided with a detailed topographic map on which the course is marked. Competitors start at staggered intervals, are individually timed, and are expected to perform all navigation skills on their own. Standings are determined first by successful completion of the course, then by shortest time on course. Rules and principles of the sport are defined by the International Orienteering Federation. Image File history File links Orienteering_symbol. ... Image File history File links Orienteering_symbol. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... For the acronyms, see MAP and MAPS. A map is a symbolized depiction of a space which highlights relations between components (objects, regions, themes) of that space. ... This article is about the navigational instrument. ... US Armed Forces cross country meet Cross-country running is a sport in which teams of runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain before other teams. ... // Topographic maps are a variety of maps characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. ... A pocket watch, a device used to tell time Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is an international confederation of national orienteering organizations. ...

The English name derives from the Swedish word "orientering". The term was first used to describe the sport in 1918 by Major Ernst Killander, then President of the Stockholm Amateur Athletic Association, in publicity for the first large scale competitive meet held in Sweden.^[1]

History

Early days

Orienteering originated in Scandinavia, as a military exercise, in the late 19th century. The competitive sport form began in Norway where the first competition was sponsored by the Tjalve Sports Club on 31 October 1897 and held near Oslo. The course was quite long by modern standards, at 19.5 km, on which only three controls were placed. Peder Fossum won the event in a time of 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 7 seconds.^[2] The first large scale orienteering meet was organized in 1918 by Major Ernst Killander of Stockholm, Sweden. Killander was a Scout leader who turned to the sport as an opportunity to interest youth in athletics. The first large scale event was organized south of Stockholm and was attended by 220 athletes.^[2]^[3] Killander continued to develop the rules and principles of the sport, and today is widely regarded throughout Scandinavia as the "Father of Orienteering". Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ... This article needs cleanup. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... County District Ã˜stlandet Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area - Total - Land - Percentage Ranked 224 454 kmÂ² 426 kmÂ² 0. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society. ...

The sport gained popularity with the development of more reliable compasses in the 1930s. The first international competition between orienteers of Sweden and Norway was held outside Oslo, Norway in 1932. In 1933, the Swedish compass manufacturer Silva Sweden AB introduced a new compass design, the protractor compass. Until the development of thumb compasses, the protractor compass would remain the state of the art in the sport. By 1934, over a quarter million Swedes were actively participating in the sport, and orienteering had spread to Finland, Switzerland, the Soviet Union, and Hungary. The nations of Finland, Norway, and Sweden all established national championships.^[4] The Swedish national orienteering society, Svenska Orienteringförbundet, the first national orienteering society, was founded in 1936.^[5] Silva compass, more commonly called Silva is an outdoors persuits company, most known for their high-grade compass and other navigational equipment including GPS tools, mapping software, and even create altimiters for aircraft. ... Taking a bearing with a protractor compass Sighting a bearing with a protractor compass The protractor compass is a type of compass commonly often used in hill walking, orienteering and other outdoor sports and pursuits. ... A Thumb compass is a type of orienteering compass commonly used in orienteering, a sport in which map reading and terrain association are paramount. ...

Post war years

Following World War II, orienteering spread throughout Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The first orienteering event held in North America took place in November, 1941 at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, organized by Piltti Heiskanen, a visiting teacher from Finland. Bjorn Kjellstrom (d. 1995), a Swedish orienteering champion and co-founder of compass manufacturer Silva Sweden AB, moved to the United States in 1946 to found the U.S. operations of The Silva Company (later Silva, Inc.). Kjellstrom brought his love for orienteering with him, inaugurating Silva Orienteering Services to provide training and company sponsorship for the sport. Norwegian Harald Wibye in 1967 founded the first U.S. orienteering club, the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association [1], now the largest in the United States.^[6] The Canadian Orienteering Federation was also founded in 1967, and the first Canadian national orienteering championship was held at Gatineau Park in Ottawa on August 10, 1968.^[7] In 1971 a group of orienteers led by members of the four-year old Quantico Orienteering Club founded the U.S. Orienteering Federation.^[6] The only World Championship to be held in North America took place at West Point, New York, USA in 1993. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Dartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. ... Hanover is a town located on the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... The World Orienteering Championships was first held in 1966. ... Alternate meanings: West Point (disambiguation). ... â€œNYâ€ redirects here. ...

Eleven countries sent representatives to an international conference in Sandviken, Sweden in 1949 that aimed to bring more consistent rules and mapping standards to the sport. The Norwegians and Swedes began producing new multi-color maps designed specifically for orienteering, in the 1950s. The first orienteering event in Australia was held in 1955. The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was established in 1961 and the first world championships were held in 1966. The founding member societies represented the nations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. By 1969, the IOF would represent 16 countries, including the first two non-European member societies representing Japan and Canada.^[8] Sandviken is a Municipality in Gävleborg County, in east central Sweden. ... The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is an international confederation of national orienteering organizations. ... â€œEast Germanyâ€ redirects here. ...

Recent years

Sixty-seven different national orienteering federations are member societies of the IOF today.^[9] World championships were held biannually from 1961 to 2003, and are now held every year. Jukola relay and Tiomila have both been held since the 1940s. The largest individual orienteering meet, O-Ringen, has been held annually since 1965 and attracts around 15,000 athletes to compete in the Swedish forests. There are new variations of the sport, including ski orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, trail orienteering, canoe orienteering, and radio orienteering that attract diverse communities of athletes. The sport has been dominated by the Nordic nations and Switzerland, but increasingly France, Great Britain and several Eastern European countries are making their mark. Outside Europe, Australia and New Zealand are the most developed orienteering nations. With the death of Bjorn Kjellstrom and the absence of active corporate sponsorship, U.S. orienteering has remained somewhat stagnant in terms of participation in recent years. Gate of Salo-Jukola The Jukola Relay is an orienteering race held annually in Finland since 1949. ... Tiomila is an orienteering race held annually in Sweden since 1945. ... O-Ringen, or Swedish 5-Days, is a multiday orienteering race. ... A German competitor on a two-meter ARDF course. ...

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.^[10] Efforts to develop a format suitable for Olympic competitions have focused on park orienteering, micro-orienteering, and short distance relays. The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... IWGA logo The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. ... The Deaflympics (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are an IOC-sanctioned event at which Deaf athletes compete at an elite level. ...

Ski orienteering has been promoted as the format of the sport most likely to be included in Olympic Games. 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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13] 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. ^[14] 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.^[15] The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. ... Categories: Host cities of the Winter Olympic Games | Cities in Nagano Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... (Redirected from 2006 Winter Olympic Games) See also: 2006 Winter Paralympics The XX Olympic Winter Games will be held in Turin, Italy from February 10 to 26. ... Several biathletes in the shooting area of a competition Biathlon (not to be confused with duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. ... Political map of the Nordic countries and associated territories. ... The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, will be celebrated in 2014, and is an international winter sports athletic event that has yet to be organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). ... Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ...

Basics

An orienteering course is marked in purple or red on a map using a triangle to indicate the start and a double circle to indicate the finish. Circles are used to show the control points. A staggered start is often used, with competitors starting at one or two-minute intervals. Results are based on the time taken to complete the course, visiting all the controls in the correct order. Image File history File links Karolina_Hojsgard. ... Image File history File links Karolina_Hojsgard. ... A triangle. ... Circle illustration This article is about the shape and mathematical concept of circle. ...

High levels of fitness and running speed are required to compete successfully at an elite level. Success is also heavily dependent on choosing the fastest route between controls. While controls are generally the same for the competitors in any particular category, the routes they choose may be very different. Competitors are often required to cross rough, undeveloped terrain where accurate navigation is essential. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Orienteering races usually offer a range of courses with varying physical and technical difficulty to appeal to competitors of differing abilities. Often courses are classified by age class, e.g., M35 for men 35 years of age and older. Sometimes several courses are available for each age class, e.g., W18L: women 18 years and younger long course, W70S: women over 70 short course, M21E: men's open elite etc.

Some countries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, use color-coded courses at smaller races to define the difficulty of the courses. A "white" course, for instance, might be a short, easy course aimed at beginners whilst a "blue" course would be both technically and physically more demanding.

Recently some local orienteering clubs have begun to organize orienteering courses solely for fitness purposes. These may be permanent courses, and are used for practice and training. Maps of the courses are usually available publicly for a fee. Sometimes these are collected back after completing the course, and certainly so if the course is later intended also for major event. All major competitive events should have completely new control points on the course, and the general area of the competition can be closed for competitors during the construction of the course.

Map and control details

Maps are specially created by orienteers and professional mapmakers. They are a larger scale and much more detailed than general-purpose topographic maps, and are typically at scales of 1:15,000 or 1:10,000, with grids predrawn to magnetic north. Map symbols for the 1:15000 scale are standardized by the IOF (International specification for orienteering maps - ISOM), and designed to be readable by any competitor no matter his background or native tongue. 1:15,000 is specified to be the norm and 1:10,000 a special-purpose variation, and map symbols for the 1:10000 scale are required by the specification to be a 150% enlargement of the symbols for the 1:15,000 scale. However in some countries almost all maps used are at 1:10,000 using symbols at the regular size. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Cartography is the study of map making and cartographers are map makers. ... This is about the geographic meaning of North Pole. ... Compass rose with north highlighted and at top Look up North in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Map reading and terrain association are supreme in orienteering navigation, and the compass is normally reduced solely to the role of orienting the map to magnetic north.

Control points are usually placed on distinct features, and clarified on a "control description sheet". They are marked in the terrain by white and orange (or white and red) flags, like that illustrated above. A competitor registers his or her visit by punching a "control card" with a needle punch, or using an electronic chip.

Equipment and clothing

The basic equipment required for orienteering is usually listed as a compass, appropriate outdoor clothing and, in some countries, whistle. The whistle is for use in emergency situations. Competitive orienteers usually use specialized equipment, such as a "thumb compass". A clear plastic sleeve is often worn on the forearm to hold control descriptions. Competitors may also use a "punch-card holder" for hands-free orienteering. A modern variation on the punch card is electronic punching. There are two types of electronic punching. The SPORTIdent system uses a small plastic 'e-card' (also called a 'dibbler' or 'fingerstick'), which straps to a competitor's finger and is inserted into a special, battery-operated station at the control point. The other is a system known as 'EMIT' which has more of a brick-like shape, but follows the same principle as the 'e-card' with the added backup of a small paper card. This card is pierced by a pin in a specific location at each station. With both, the time at which the control was punched is recorded. Some electronic punching systems have stations that beep and/or flash a light to notify that the punch is OK. For important events there should be some kind of independent backup available in case of equipment failure. Image File history File linksMetadata Tajfuto. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Tajfuto. ... Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been modified by human activity. ... A whistle is a one-note woodwind instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Distress call. ...

Purpose-made lightweight nylon or lycra suits provide full body cover for racing in areas with undergrowth. Gaiters are also often worn. Lightweight studded (and often cleated) orienteering shoes are commonly used. People sometimes wear visors to keep rain, dust and twigs out of their eyes. GPS and other electronic navigation devices are not normally allowed. For other uses of this word, see nylon (disambiguation). ... Lycra is INVISTAs trademark for a synthetic polyurethane-based elastane textile with elastic properties of the sort known generically as spandex. As with other spandex materials, Lycra is commonly used in athletic or active clothing, such as clothes for cycling, swimwear, leotards and dancewear, as well as in underclothes. ... Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. ... Gaiters are a type of protective clothing for a persons ankles and legs below the knee. ... The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). ...

Race types

World Championship distances are Long (winning time of 70 - 80 minutes for women and 90 - 100 mins for men), Middle (30-35 mins), Sprint (10-12 mins) and Relay. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 268 KB) Beschreibung: Zielsprint der 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 268 KB) Beschreibung: Zielsprint der 3. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 66 KB) Summary Description: Bojan Zolnaj at the Istanbul 5 days Sprint-Distance Picture by Tatiana Kalenderoglu Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Orienteering ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 66 KB) Summary Description: Bojan Zolnaj at the Istanbul 5 days Sprint-Distance Picture by Tatiana Kalenderoglu Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Orienteering ...

A sporting event called ROGAINE or Rogaining (Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance) is essentially a form of Orienteering. ... A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Recognized types of orienteering

The four types of orienteering recognized by the International Orienteering Federation are foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering. A cross country mountain bike race A hardtail mountain bike A mountain bike or mountain bicycle (abbreviated MTB or ATB (All Terrain Bicycle)) is a bicycle designed for mountain biking, either on dirt trails or other unpaved environments. ... A shaped, twin-tip alpine ski. ...

Mountain bike orienteering

This is orienteering on a mountain bike, abbreviated MTBO or MTB-O. As bikes are usually not permitted to leave the path system, the major focus becomes route choice while navigating at bike speed. Special equipment required is a map holder attached to the handlebar of the bike. Maps are usually smaller scale and less detailed than standard orienteering maps. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (599x800, 221 KB) MTBO rider Robert Zabel File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Orienteering ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (599x800, 221 KB) MTBO rider Robert Zabel File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Orienteering ...

Ski orienteering

Another variant includes orienteering on cross-country skis. Standard orienteering maps are used, but with special green overprinting of trails and tracks to indicate their navigability in snow; other symbols indicate whether any roads are snow-covered or clear. Standard cross-country ski equipment is used, along with a map holder attached to the chest. Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...

Trail orienteering

An orienteering form accessible to disabled competitors where the object is accuracy, not time. It involves determining, along a set accessible course, which of various controls in a small area is the one indicated on the map. Another less common form involves determining the position on a map of a control viewed from a set point 30-40 metres away. Maps are usually 1:5,000 scale. The term disability, as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. ...

Other variations of orienteering

There are many other orienteering variations where a means of locomotion is combined with a navigational element:

Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... It has been suggested that Canadian canoe be merged into this article or section. ... A German competitor on a two-meter ARDF course. ... The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH or H3) is an international group of social, non-competitive running and drinking clubs. ...

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