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.
Jamie Stevenson is a British orienteering champion. In 2003 he won the gold medal in the sprint distance at the World Orienteering Championships. He was the first and, to-date, the only British male orienteering world champion.
Thierry Gueorgiou is a French orienteer who has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions, including the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) middle distance event eight times: 2003–2005, 2007–2009, 2011 and 2017. In November 2016 it was announced he will become the Swedish national team head coach following the 2017 World Championships.
Yvette Baker is Britain's most successful orienteer. At the 1999 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness she won the short distance event.
Daniel Hubmann is a Swiss orienteering competitor, world champion in all three individual disciplines and multiple winner of the overall Orienteering World Cup. He is the brother of Martin Hubmann. Daniel also has his own fan club which is run by New Zealand Orienteer Joseph Lynch.
Olav Lundanes is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, hailing from Ålesund. He has won gold medal at the World Orienteering Championships ten times and the European Orienteering Championships four times. He competes for Halden SK.
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.
Steven Hale is a British orienteering competitor.
Søren Bobach is a Danish orienteering competitor, and world champion at both junior and senior level. He runs for OK Pan Århus.
Maja Møller Alm is a Danish orienteering and Athletics competitor who has won seven World Championships and two World Games titles. She is especially known for her four gold medals on the sprint distance, where she has won the title four years in a row: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. She is also a medalist from the Junior World Championships. Since 2006 she has been coached by Danish national coach Lars Lindstrøm. Alm is remarkable for her dominant running speed, which gives her a great advantage over other competitors at the sprint distance.
Martin Johansson is a Swedish orienteering, ski-orienteering, and cross-country skiing competitor, a medallist at the orienteering world championships, and a 2004 Junior World Champion in relay. He received bronze medals in sprint at the World Orienteering Championships in Kyiv 2007 and Olomouc 2008. His brother, Lars, is a member of the Rockford Icehogs
Jon Duncan is a British orienteering competitor and world champion.
Mika Tervala is a Finnish mountain bike orienteering competitor, World Champion and European Champion. He won individual gold medals at the 2002, 2006 and 2007 World Championships, and a gold medal in the relay in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Mika coaches the Finnish national mountain bike orienteering teams since spring 2008.
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.
Judith Wyder is a Swiss orienteering and ski orienteering competitor and runner.
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.
Kristian Jones or Kris Jones is a competitor in Orienteering and Athletics, competing for Great Britain. He also competes for Lillomarka OK in Norway, Forth Valley orienteers and Wales.
Edinburgh University Orienteering Club is the most successful University Orienteering Club in the United Kingdom, winning the JK or British relays 15 times in total. It's also recognised by the abbreviation EUOC. Students from Edinburgh University, Heriot Watt University and Edinburgh Napier University are all allowed to join the club. After graduation, old members are allowed to join AROS, a club for past students.
Ralph Street is a British orienteering competitor. He was part of the British team that came second in the sprint relay at the 2022 World Orienteering Championships. His team included Megan Carter Davies, Kris Jones and Charlotte Ward.
