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).
Matthias Merz is a Swiss orienteering competitor, winner of the 2007 World Orienteering Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine, Long distance, and also earned a silver medal on the Sprint distance in the same championship. He has a bronze medal from the 2005 Relay Championships in Aichi, Japan, as member of the Swiss winning team. When Merz won the bronze medal in the middle distance at the World Championships in Miskolc in 2009, he joined countryman Daniel Hubmann as the only two men to have ever medaled in all four orienteering disciplines at the World Championships.
Valentin Yuryevich Novikov is a Russian orienteering competitor. He is the brother of Leonid Novikov.
Anne Margrethe Hausken Nordberg is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, World champion and European champion. She took the overall victory in the 2008 World Cup.
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.
Sinikka Kukkonen was a Finnish orienteering competitor. She is World Champion in both orienteering and ski orienteering. She became the first World Champion in ski orienteering, in 1975.
Annika Viilo is a Finnish orienteering competitor and world champion. She won a gold medal at the 1995 World Orienteering Championships in Detmold with the Finnish relay team. She received a silver medal on the Classic distance at the 1993 World Championships in West Point, and also a silver medal with the relay team, and she received a bronze medal with the relay team in 1989 (Skaraborg).
The European Orienteering Championships were first held in 1962. They have been held biennially since 2000. From 2020, the European Orienteering Championships will be held annually, with sprint events and forest events in alternate years.
Dmitriy Alexandrovich Tsvetkov is a Russian orienteering competitor and past European champion. He received a gold medal in the long distance at the 2008 European Orienteering Championships in Ventspils, and also a gold medal in the relay event, together with Andrey Khramov and Valentin Novikov. Dmitry also won two gold medals at JWOC 2003 in Estonia in a classic distance and relay. On March 5, 2022, Dmitry Tsvetkov supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mārtiņš Sirmais is a Latvian orienteering competitor. He received a silver medal in the middle distance at the 2006 European Orienteering Championships in Otepää, and again at the 2008 European Orienteering Championships in Ventspils.
Tatiana Ryabkina is a Russian orienteering competitor. She won the O-Ringen in 2012 and had international success.
Lina Persson is a Swedish orienteering competitor and European champion. She received a gold medal in the relay event at the 2008 European Orienteering Championships in Ventspils, together with Emma Engstrand and Helena Jansson. She qualified for the finals and finished 10th in the long distance and 12th in the middle distance at the 2008 European championships.
Julia Sergeyevna Novikova is a Russian orienteering competitor. She was member of the Russian relay team that received a silver medal in the 2008 European Orienteering Championships, together with Natalia Korzhova and Tatiana Ryabkina.
Natalia Efimova is a Russian orienteering competitor. She was member of the Russian relay team that received a silver medal in the 2008 European Orienteering Championships, together with Yulia Novikova and Tatiana Ryabkina. She competed at the 2008 World Orienteering Championships in Olomouc, where she qualified for the finals in the sprint and in the long distance.
Mari Fasting is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and ski mountaineer. She is two times Junior World Orienteering Champion. She represents the club NTNUI of Trondheim, and is related to the ski mountaineer Ola Berger.
Mika Kuisma was a Finnish orienteering competitor. He died in a car crash.
Virpi Juutilainen is a Finnish ski-orienteering competitor and world champion.
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
Katri Lindeqvist is a Finnish orienteering competitor and world champion.
Finland 
