Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills 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 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).
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.
The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) are an annual orienteering competition. They were first held in 1990. Entry is open to national teams aged 20 and below as of 31 December in the year of competition. Representative countries must be members of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).
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.
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.
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.
The 2010–11 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers. It was the 30th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and women. The season began on 20 November 2010 in Gällivare, Sweden and ended on 20 March 2011 in Falun, Sweden. The World Cup was organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping, snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others.
2011–12 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers. It was the 31st official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and women. The season began in Sjusjøen, Norway, on 19 November 2011 and concluded on 18 March 2012 in Falun, Sweden.
Tove Alexandersson is a Swedish orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner and ski mountaineer. She has won a total of 17 gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships and 10 gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Championships. In 2018, she won the Sky Marathon event at the Skyrunning World Championships, in her second skyrunning race ever. In 2021, she won the combined discipline at the World Championships of Ski Mountaineering. She competes for Stora Tuna OK in orienteering and Alfta-Ösa OK in ski orienteering. 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.
The 2018 Orienteering World Cup was the 24th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2018 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 11 individual events and 9 relay events. The events were located in Switzerland, Latvia, Norway and Czech Republic. The European Orienteering Championships in Ticino, Switzerland and the 2018 World Orienteering Championships in Riga, Latvia were included in the World Cup.
Simona Aebersold is a Swiss orienteering competitor. She is the daughter of Christian Aebersold, who won the World Orienteering Championships 3 times.
The 2017 Orienteering World Cup was the 23rd edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2017 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 10 individual events, four relays and three sprint relay events. The events were located in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Switzerland. The 2017 World Orienteering Championships in Tartu, Estonia are included in the World Cup.
The 2016 Orienteering World Cup was the 22nd edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2016 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 10 individual events and four sprint relay events. The events were located in Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. The European Orienteering Championships in Jeseník, Czech Republic and the 2016 World Orienteering Championships in Strömstad, Sweden, were included in the World Cup.
The 2019 Orienteering World Cup was the 25th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2019 Orienteering World Cup consisted of nine individual events and four relay events. The events are located in Finland, Norway, Switzerland and China. The 2019 World Orienteering Championships in Østfold, Norway are included in the World Cup.
The 2015 Orienteering World Cup was the 21st edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2015 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 11 events, all individual competitions. The events were located in Australia, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and Switzerland. The 2015 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom was included in the World Cup.
The 2014 Orienteering World Cup was the 20th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2014 Orienteering World Cup consisted of 14 events, all individual competitions. The events were located in Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Italy and Switzerland. The 2014 European Orienteering Championships in Palmela, Portugal and the 2014 World Orienteering Championships in Venezia and Trentino, Italy were included in the World Cup.
The 2022 Orienteering World Cup is the 27th edition of the Orienteering World Cup. The 2022 Orienteering World Cup consists of six individual events and four relay events. The events are located in Sweden, Estonia, and Switzerland. The 2022 World Orienteering Championships in Denmark are not included in the World Cup. But the European Orienteering Championships in Estonia are part of the world cup, and non-European Orienteers can hence participate in the European Championships as well. By winning the fifth race, middle distance in Davos, Tove Alexandersson secured her eight total world cup win. Later the same day, Kasper Fosser secured his second total world cup win.
Kasper Harlem Fosser (NOR)
Matthias Kyburz (SUI)
Tove Alexandersson (SWE)
