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.
The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. The IOF head office is located in Karlstad, Sweden. The IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering.
Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen is a Norwegian cross-country skier. Her first Olympic medal was a silver 4 × 5 km relay at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she took the bronze medal in the 10 km classical interval start event. Pedersen is the oldest woman ever to win a cross country skiing World Cup race, which she did at age 41 in January 2006 in Otepää, Estonia.
Anne Margrethe Hausken Nordberg is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, World champion and European champion. She took the overall victory in the 2008 World Cup.
Merja Rantanen is a Finnish orienteering competitor. She received a silver medal in the middle distance at the 2008 European Orienteering Championships in Ventspils. She also participated on the Finnish team that achieved a bronze medal in the championship relay.
Ski orienteering (SkiO) is a cross-country skiing endurance winter racing sport and one of the four orienteering disciplines recognized by the IOF. A successful ski orienteer combines high physical endurance, strength and excellent technical skiing skills with the ability to navigate and make the best route choices while skiing at a high speed.
Mika Kuisma was a Finnish orienteering competitor. He died in a car crash.
Tatiana Germanovna Vlasova is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion. She received nine gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Championships from 2000 to 2009. She won the overall World Cup in Ski Orienteering in 2007/8, and finished 2nd in 2001, 2003 and 2006.
Natalia Tomilova is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and winner of the overall world cup, who was suspended for two years for doping.
Lena Hasselström is a Swedish ski-orienteering competitor, world champion and winner of the overall world cup.
Arja Nuolioja is a Finnish ski-orienteering competitor and world champion.
Virpi Juutilainen is a Finnish ski-orienteering competitor and world champion.
Anssi Juutilainen is a Finnish ski-orienteering competitor and world champion.
Matti Keskinarkaus is a Finnish ski-orienteering and mountain bike orienteering competitor. He is ski-O world champion and winner of the overall ski-O world cup year 2001.
Lars Lystad is a Norwegian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion. He won a gold medal in the relay event at the World Ski Orienteering Championships in Batak in 1986, together with Sigurd Dæhli, Audun Knutsen and Vidar Benjaminsen, and again in Val di Non in 1994, with Kjetil Ulven, Harald Svergja and Vidar Benjaminsen. He received a silver medal in the long distance in 1994.
Harald Svergja is a Norwegian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion. He won a gold medal in the relay event at the World Ski Orienteering Championships in Val di Non in 1994, together with Kjetil Ulven, Lars Lystad and Vidar Benjaminsen.
Olga Shevchenko is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion. She won a gold medal in the relay event at the World Ski Orienteering Championships in Moscow in 2007, together with Natalia Tomilova and Tatiana Vlasova. She received a bronze medal in the long distance in Levi in 2005.
Mervi Väisänen is a Finnish ski-orienteering and mountain bike orienteering competitor.
Tove Alexandersson is a Swedish foot orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner, trail runner, ski mountaineer and skysnow runner. Alexandersson has won gold medals at world championships in five different sports plus a silver medal in a sixth sport, and has won a total of 21 gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships, making her the second most successful orienteer in history by number of gold medals at World Championships, behind Simone Niggli-Luder. 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.
Andrine Benjaminsen is a Norwegian orienteer and ski orienteer.
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