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).
Ivar Formo was a Norwegian cross-country skier and orienteer who competed during the 1970s.
Åge Hadler is a Norwegian orienteering competitor, winner of the 1966 and 1972 individual World Orienteering Championships, relay champion from 1970, and individual bronze medalist from 1968.
Liisa Peltola is a Finnish orienteering competitor. She won the 1976 Individual World Orienteering Championships, and took silver medal 1978 and 1979. She is also three times Relay World Champion, as a member of the Finnish winning team 1972, 1978 and 1979.
Outi Borgenström is a Finnish orienteering competitor. She won the 1979 Individual World Orienteering Championships, and took bronze medal 1974. She is also Relay World Champion, as a member of the Finnish winning team 1978.
Kristin Cullmann is a Swedish orienteering competitor. She is two times Relay World Champion as a member of the Swedish winning team in 1974 and 1976, as well as having a silver medal from 1978. She obtained silver in the Individual World Championships in 1974 and 1976.
Ragnhild Bratberg is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and a cross-country skier. In orienteering, she won the overall Orienteering World Cup in 1988, and represented Norway several times in the World Orienteering Championships relays, winning medals in 1985, 1987 and 1991. In ski orienteering she won four individual gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Championships, and once in the relay. She was awarded Egebergs Ærespris in 1988.
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.
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.
Harald Thon is a Norwegian orienteering competitor who represented the club IF Sturla and the Norwegian national team. He was part of the Norwegian winning team in relay at the World Orienteering Championships in 1981 and 1983.
Wenche Jacobsen is a Norwegian orienteering competitor who competed internationally. Her achievements included winning a bronze medal at the world championships in 1978, and she was part of the Norwegian relay team at the world championships in 1976 and 1978, both times placing fourth.
Katharina von Salis Perch-Nielsen is a Swiss geologist and orienteering competitor. She is a retired Adjunct Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. She retired 1 October 2001. During her scientific career, as a Professor in the Micropaleontology at the Geological Institute at ETH Zurich, she was highly engaged in promoting gender equality in sciences and active in fighting to improve the position of girls and women in sciences at Swiss universities and high schools. She was at the origin of the Office of Equal Opportunities for Men and Women that exists at ETH Zurich since 1993.
Veijo Tahvanainen is a Finnish orienteering competitor. He received a silver medal in the relay event and finished 10th in the individual event at the 1968 World Orienteering Championships in Linköping. In 1970 he finished 14th in the individual event, and 4th with the Finnish relay team. At the 1972 World Orienteering Championships in Staré Splavy, he placed 9th in the individual contest, and was part of the Swiss relay team.
Ruth Humbel is a Swiss politician (CVP) and a member of the Federal Assembly. She is also an orienteering competitor at international level. She won bronze medals in the relay at the World Orienteering Championships in 1978, 1981 and 1985. She placed fourth in the individual event at the 1981 World Championships, and fifth in the relay in 1979.
Päivi Tommola is a Finnish mountain bike orienteering competitor, World Champion and European Champion. She won individual gold medals at the 2002 and 2005 World Championships, and gold medals in the relay in 2002, 2004 and 2007.
Michaela Gigon is an Austrian mountain bike orienteer and several times world champion. She has competed at all World MTB Orienteering Championships from 2002 to 2010, won individual gold medals in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010, and in relay in 2009.
Christine Schaffner is a Swiss mountain bike orienteer and world champion. She has participated in all seven World MTB Orienteering Championships from 2004 to 2010, and won gold medals in the long distance four times, in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Willi Müller is a Swiss orienteering competitor who participated in five World Orienteering Championships in the 1970s and 1980s. He competed at the 1978 World Championships in Kongsberg, where he placed 16th in the individual course and fourth in the relay with the Swiss team. At the 1979 World Championships in Tampere he placed 18th individually and again fourth in the relay. He competed on the Swiss relay team at the World Championships in Thun in 1981, where the team placed fifth. At the 1983 World Championships in Zalaegerszeg he placed tenth in the individual contest, and fourth in the relay. At the 1985 World Championships in Bendigo he participated on the Swiss team which won the bronze medal.
Ida Bobach is a Danish orienteering competitor who was Junior World Champion in 2009, and became triple Junior World Champion from 2010, when she won the sprint, long distance and the relay. She represents the club OK Pan Århus, and since 2007, has received training from Danish national coach Lars Lindstrøm. In 2015 she won gold medals at the World Championships in the long and Relay.
Karolin Ohlsson is a Swedish orienteering competitor who competes internationally. She became world champion in the sprint relay in 2018.
Switzerland 
