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.
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.
Jørgen Rostrup is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, two times winner of the World Orienteering Championships, Short distance in 1999, and Classic distance in 2001. He also obtained bronze on the Short distance in 2001. He is two times Relay World Champion, as member of the Norwegian winning teams in 2004 in Sweden, and 2005 in Japan. He also won the Jukola relay in 1999 and 2001.
Petter Thoresen is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, winner of the 1989 Individual World Orienteering Championships, the Short distance in 1993, and the Classic distance in 1997. He also has a bronze medal on the Classic distance from 1993.
Emil Wingstedt is a Swedish orienteering competitor. He won the 2005 and 2006 Sprint World Orienteering Championships, and finished third on the long distance in 2003. He is Relay World Champion from 2003 with the Swedish team, as well as having a silver medal from 2007, and bronze medals from 2004 and 2006. He is a four-time European Champion, winning the Sprint distance in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He won the classical relay race Tiomila in 2006, 2007 and 2012 with his club team Halden SK.
Pasi Ikonen was a Finnish orienteering competitor, winner of the middle distance at the 2001 World Orienteering Championships. His other achievements include two individual silver medals at the world championships, and medals at the World Games and the European championships.
Janne Juhani Salmi is a Finnish orienteering competitor and world champion. He won the short distance at the 1997 World Orienteering Championships, and a gold medal in the relay at the 2001 World Orienteering Championships. He won a total of three individual world championship medals and four relay medals, and won the Jukola relay three times with the club Turun Suunnistajat.
Daniel Hubmann is a Swiss orienteering competitor. Hubmann is the most successful male Swiss orienteer of all time, with 9 Gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships. In 2023, with his victory in the relay at the 2023 World Orienteering Championships, Hubmann became the oldest competitor to win a gold medal at the World Orienteering Championships, at the age of 40 years and 61 days. Hubmann is currently the third most successful male orienteer of all time, behind Thierry Gueorgiou and Olav Lundanes, and has won more medals in total than any other male orienteer.
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.
Bernt Bjørnsgaard is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and World champion.
Anders Nordberg is a Norwegian orienteering competitor. He received a bronze medal at the 2004 World Orienteering Championship, and again a bronze medal in 2007. He finished second in the overall World Cup 2007.
Mats Haldin is a Finnish orienteering competitor and two-time European champion with the Finnish relay team. He received a silver medal with the Finnish relay team at the 2003 World Orienteering Championships in Rapperswil/Jona, and again in 2006 in Aarhus. He received a bronze medal in relay at the 2007 World Championships in Kyiv. At the 2009 World Orienteering Championships in Miskolc he won a bronze medal in the relay, together with Topi Anjala and Tero Föhr.
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.
Kjetil Bjørlo is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, individual bronze medalist in the classic course at the 1997 World Orienteering Championships in Grimstad.
Eva Juřeníková is a Czech orienteering competitor previously living in Borlänge, Sweden. After living 13 years in sweden, she moved to Halden, Norway in the beginning of 2013 to work as a head coach in Halden SK
Emil Svensk is a Swedish orienteering competitor. His achievements include winning gold medals both in the World Orienteering Championships and the European Orienteering Championships.
Stora Tuna OK is a Swedish orienteering club in Borlänge. It was the orienteering section of Stora Tuna IK until 2009.
Lynx is a Finnish orienteering club from Kirkkonummi founded in 1971.
