Orienteering is a group of sports that involve 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.
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 holds the record for gold medals won at the World Orienteering Championships for a male athlete, with 14 gold medals between 2003 and 2017. Gueorgiou has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions, including the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) middle distance event a record eight times: 2003–2005, 2007–2009, 2011 and 2017.
Espoon Suunta (EsSu) is an orienteering club based in Espoo, Finland with a strong interest in advancing the elite orienteering as well as youth orienteering and adult fitness orienteering in the western Helsinki capital area. Espoon Suunta is one of biggest Finnish orienteering clubs having 680 members (2013).
Valentin Yuryevich Novikov is a Russian orienteering competitor. He is the brother of Leonid Novikov.
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.
Tore Sandvik is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and World champion. He won a gold medal in the 1999 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness with the Norwegian Relay team.
Giedrė Voverienė is a Lithuanian orienteering competitor. She received a bronze medal in relay at the 2002 European Orienteering Championships in Sümeg, together with Vilma Rudzenskaitė and Ieva Sargautytė. The same team finished 4th at the 2003 World Orienteering Championships in Rapperswil-Jona.
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.
Damien Renard is a French orienteering competitor. He has received silver medals with the French relay team in both world championships and European championships. He won Swedish middle-distance championship in 2005.
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.
Daniel Marston is a British orienteering competitor. He received a bronze medal in relay at the 2003 World Orienteering Championships in Rapperswil-Jona, together with Jon Duncan and Jamie Stevenson. He finished 5th in the relay in 2004.
Graham Gristwood is a British orienteering competitor and world champion.
The Hungarian Orienteering Federation is the governing body for orienteering in Hungary. It is recognized as Hungary's national orienteering association by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), of which it is a member.
Troy de Haas is an Australian tower running, mountain running and orienteering competitor.
Topi Anjala is a Finnish orienteering competitor. He represented Finland at the 2009 World Orienteering Championships in Miskolc, where he placed 15th in the long distance, and won a bronze medal in the relay, together with Tero Föhr and Mats Haldin. His career best personal best is seventh place in the long distance at the 2008 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Anjala has won the Jukola relay in 2016 and 2018.
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.
Emil Svensk is a Swedish orienteering competitor. He was born in Borlänge. He won a gold medal in the middle distance at the 2013 Junior World Orienteering Championships. At the 2018 European Orienteering Championships in Cadempino he won a silver medal in the mixed sprint relay with the Swedish team. He competed at the 2018 World Orienteering Championships in Latvia, where he placed sixth in the sprint final, and won a gold medal in the mixed sprint relay, together with Karolin Ohlsson, Jonas Leandersson and Tove Alexandersson. In the 2019 World Orienteering Championships in Norway he participated in the winning Swedish relay team together with Johan Runesson and Gustav Bergman. Even in the 2023 World Orienteering Championships he participated together with Albin Ridefeldt and Gustav Bergman in the Swedish relay team which won the bronze medal.
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.
Great Britain 
