Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills 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.
Simone Niggli-Luder is a Swiss orienteering athlete who has twice won all four women's competitions at the world championships. She is widely seen as one of the greatest orienteers of all time.
The World Orienteering Championships is an annual orienteering event organized by the International Orienteering Federation. The first World Championships was held in Fiskars, Finland in 1966. They were held biennially up to 2003. Since 2003, competitions have been held annually. Participating nations have to be members of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).
Bjørnar Valstad is a Norwegian former orienteering athlete who has won 4 World Orienteering Championships gold medals.
Hanne Staff is a Norwegian orienteering competitor who has won three individual World Orienteering Championships medals.
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 must be members of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).
Magne Dæhli is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, ski-orienteer, and cross-country skier. His achievements include five medals in the relay at the World Orienteering Championships, of which three are gold medals. His best individual performances include a silver medal in the long distance from the European Orienteering Championships, and a bronze medal in the middle distance from the 2019 World Orienteering Championships.
Silje Ekroll Jahren is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and junior world champion.
Tove Alexandersson is a Swedish orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner and ski mountaineer. She has won a total of 17 gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships and 10 gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Championships. In 2018, she won the Sky Marathon event at the Skyrunning World Championships, in her second skyrunning race ever. In 2021, she won the combined discipline at the World Championships of Ski Mountaineering. She competes for Stora Tuna OK in orienteering and Alfta-Ösa OK in ski orienteering. Alexandersson holds the record for the number of gold medals in a row at the World Orienteering Championships, winning 11 in a row between 2018 and 2022.
Matthias Kyburz is a Swiss orienteering competitor, junior world champion, European champion and multiple world champion. On 16 April 2020, Kyburz attained the world record in quickest time reaching 50km on a treadmill, in a time of 2:56:35, breaking the record held by Florian Neuschwander.
Jerker Lysell is a Swedish orienteering competitor, and world champion in sprint.
Jonas Leandersson is a Swedish orienteering competitor. He won a gold medal in the sprint at the 2012 European Orienteering Championships in Falun. Gold at the 2014 European Orienteering Championships in relay and gold at the 2014 World Orienteering Championships relay competing with the same relay team.
Andrine Benjaminsen is a Norwegian orienteer and ski orienteer.
The 2018 Orienteering World Cup was the 24th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2018 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 11 individual events and 9 relay events. The events were located in Switzerland, Latvia, Norway and Czech Republic. The European Orienteering Championships in Ticino, Switzerland and the 2018 World Orienteering Championships in Riga, Latvia were included in the World Cup.
Simona Aebersold is a Swiss orienteering competitor. She is the daughter of Christian Aebersold, who won the World Orienteering Championships 3 times.
The 2016 Orienteering World Cup was the 22nd edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2016 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 10 individual events and four sprint relay events. The events were located in Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. The European Orienteering Championships in Jeseník, Czech Republic and the 2016 World Orienteering Championships in Strömstad, Sweden, were included in the World Cup.
The 2015 Orienteering World Cup was the 21st edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2015 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 11 events, all individual competitions. The events were located in Australia, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and Switzerland. The 2015 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom was included in the World Cup.
The 2014 Orienteering World Cup was the 20th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2014 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 14 events, all individual competitions. The events were located in Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Italy and Switzerland. The 2014 European Orienteering Championships in Palmela, Portugal and the 2014 World Orienteering Championships in Venezia and Trentino, Italy were included in the World Cup.
The 2021 Orienteering World Cup was the 26th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2021 Orienteering World Cup consisted of six individual events and four relay events. The events were located in Switzerland, Sweden, and Italy. The 2021 World Orienteering Championships in the Czech Republic were not included in the World Cup.
Matthias Kyburz (SUI)
Olav Lundanes (NOR)
Minna Kauppi (FIN)
Tatiana Ryabkina (RUS)
