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.
A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating. In the Olympic Games, there are several types of relay races that are part of track and field. Relay race, also called Relay, is a track-and-field sport consisting of a set number of stages (legs), usually four, each leg run by different members of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass the next runner a stick-like object known as a "baton" while both are running in a marked exchange zone. In most relays, team members cover equal distances: Olympic events for both men and women are the 400-metre and 1,600-metre relays. Some non-Olympic relays are held at distances of 800 m, 3,200 m, and 6,000 m. In the less frequently run medley relays, however, the athletes cover different distances in a prescribed order—as in a sprint medley of 200, 200, 400, 800 metres or a distance medley of 1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 metres.
The Jukola Relay is an orienteering relay race held annually in Finland since 1949. Jukola is the biggest orienteering relay event in the world. The race takes place on a Saturday between 13 and 19 June in sites around Finland. The northernmost location has been 50 km north of the Arctic Circle. The name Jukola is a family name in the classic Finnish novel, "Seven Brothers". The women's relay, known as the Venla Relay, is a daytime race on the Saturday afternoon. It is named after the main female character from the novel.
The O-Ringen is an orienteering competition that takes place annually in different areas of Sweden. Orienteers from all over the world come to the competition. For orienteers around the world a trip to the O'ringen 5-days is their Mecca. This race attracts significant media coverage in Sweden and winning O-Ringen is often considered second only to the World Championships in prestige. The competition takes place in July, and takes place over 5 days, where every active day is a competition stage. Competitors are assigned start times for the first four stages of the race, but on the fifth and final stage a "chasing start" is used. In a chasing start the overall leader in each class starts first and the remaining competitors start according to the total time they trail. This means that the first runner over the finish line on the final stage is the winner.
Kiril Nikolov, also known as the Disl, is a Bulgarian orienteer.
Ann-Marie Wallsten is a Swedish orienteering competitor and European champion. She won a silver medal in the individual event and a gold medal in the relay event at the 1964 European Orienteering Championships in Le Brassus, Switzerland.
Štěpán Kodeda was a Czech orienteering competitor, and twice junior world champion.
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
Pargas Idrottsförening, or PIF for short, is a sports club based in the city of Pargas, Finland. The club has over 1,500 members and is known, especially for handball, football, and orienteering. It also makes provision for cross-country skiing, floorball, gymnastics, and athletics. The club was founded in 1914 as Pargas Malms Idrottsförening but changed its name to its current title in 1916.
The Swedish Orienteering Federation is the national orienteering association in Sweden. It is recognized as the national federation for Sweden by the International Orienteering Federation, of which it is a member.
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.
IFK Mora is a sports club in Mora, Sweden. The club was founded on 22 August 1909, and became an alliance club on 1 January 1992, following a 1991 decision. IFK Mora is known for its successes in orienteering and cross-country skiing but is also active in athletics, gymnastics, and football. IFK Mora and Sälens IF own and arrange Vasaloppet together every year.
Tove Alexandersson has won gold medals at world championships in five different sports plus a silver medal in a sixth sport. She is a Swedish foot orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner, trail runner, ski mountaineer and skysnow runner. Alexandersson has won a total of 19 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, and in 2023 she won a silver medal in the up and down discipline at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. In 2024 Alexandersson won all three events in the SkySnow World Championships in her first such event ever. 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.
Karolin Ohlsson is a Swedish orienteering competitor who competes internationally. She became world champion in the sprint relay in 2018.
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.
Nyköpings OK is a Swedish orienteering club in Nyköping. It was founded in 1958 when the orienteering section of Nyköpings SK became an independent association.
Södertälje-Nykvarn orientering is a Swedish orienteering club in Södertälje. Its activities are based in Tveta by the lake Måsnaren, just west to the town.
