Orienteering on Pixibot

Orienteering is a sport involving navigation with map and compass. The traditional form (sometimes referred to as Foot Orienteering or Foot-O) involves cross-country running, though other forms have evolved. Rules and principles are defined by the International Orienteering Federation.

The English name derives from Swedish orientering, "orientation".

Participants have a map, usually of an area with which they are unfamiliar, and a compass. They attempt to visit, in sequence, control points that are indicated on the map, as quickly as possible.

History Orienteering

Orienteering originated in Scandinavia, as a military exercise, in the 19th century. The competitive sport form began in Norway where the first competition was held near Oslo in 1897. It gained popularity with the development of more reliable compasses in the 1930s. Orienteering started to spread to countries outside Scandinavia in the 1960s. The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was established in 1961 and the first world championships were held in 1966.

Over 60 different national orienteering federations are registered with the IOF today. World championships are held annually (bi-annually before 2002), and orienteering is a sport in the World Games. The sport has been dominated by the Nordic nations and Switzerland, but more and more countries are making their mark on the sport, including France, Great Britain and several Eastern European countries.

Basic play

An orienteering course is marked on a map using a red triangle to indicate the start and a double circle to locate the finish. Red circles are used to show the control points. A staggered start is often used with competitors starting at minute intervals. Results are based on the time taken to complete the course, visiting all the controls in the correct order.

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 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. Orienteering clubs usually offer a wide range of courses with varying physical and technical difficulty to appeal to competitors of differing abilities.

Map and control details Gear Orienteering

Example of an orienteering map

Maps are specially created by orienteers and professional mapmakers. They are much more detailed than general-purpose topographic maps and are typically at scales of 1:10,000 or 1:15,000. Map symbols are standardized by the IOF, and designed to be readable by any competitor no matter their background or native tongue.

Control points are 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. 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, a whistle. The whistle is for use in emergency situations. Competitive orienteers usually use specialized versions of these, such as a "thumb compass".

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.

GPS and other electronic navigation devices are not normally allowed.

Variations

Championship distances are Long (winning time of 70 - 80 minutes for women and 90 - 100 mins for men), Middle Sports Orienteering (30-35 mins), Sprint (10-12 mins) and Relay Teaching Orienteering .

Relay

Teams of competitors each run 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 used where runners on each leg of the race can have different course combinations. To ensure fairness, the total of all the course combinations is always the same for each team.

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 highest point value 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.

Sprint

Shorter events often in city parks and other more urban settings. Map scales usually 1:5,000 or 1:4,000.

Night

Competitors use a headlamp to navigate in the dark. Reflective control markers are often used.

Bike-O

Orienteering on mountain bike. As bikes are 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 front of the bike. Map scale is often smaller than standard orienteering maps.

Ski-O

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.

Trail-O

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 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. Orienteering Lesson Plan