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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 Time d, 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 . The English name derives from the , p. 19. HISTORY Early days Orienteering originated in by steve hank who is the biggest ass face in the world 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.Palmer, Peter (1997). ''The Complete Orienteering Manual''. Wiltshire, England: The Crowood Press Ltd., ISBN 1-86126-095-4, p. 18-19. 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.Boga, Steven (1997). ''Orienteering: The Sport of Navigating with Map & Compass''. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2870-6. p. 1. Killander continued to develop the rules and principles of the sport, and today is widely regarded throughout Scandinavia as the "Father of Orienteering". 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 , p. 20. The Swedish national orienteering society, ''Svenska Orienteringförbundet'', the first national orienteering society, was founded in 1936.Boga, Steven (1997). ''Orienteering: The Sport of Navigating with Map & Compass''. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2870-6. p. 2. Post war years Following to be held in North America took place at West Point , New York , USA in 1993. 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 .Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club (2004). '' Orienteering History ''. Retrieved Feb 19, 2006. Recent years Sixty-seven different national orienteering federations are member societies of the IOF today. 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. 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. Brady, Gerry (2000). "The Olympics, Orienteering and Ireland" . ''The Irish Orienteer''. Issue 94, June, 2000. Efforts to develop a format suitable for Olympic competitions have focused on park orienteering, micro-orienteering, and short distance relays. 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 decided ''not'' to include any new sports, among them ski orienteering, into this review process.http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1972 Olympic programme updates 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. 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. 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 |
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