World Ranking Events (WRE) Manual

A handbook for WRE officials

2018 Edition

Issued by the IOF Foot Orienteering Commission

 CONTENTS

Foreword 3
1. Application and Allocation 4
2. World Ranking Events Basic Criteria 5
3. World Cup and WOC 5
4. Start lists 5
5. General Information and Invitation (Bulletin 1) 6
6. Website 6
7. IOF Eventor 6
8. Entries 7
9. Final Details (Bulletin 2) 7
10. Other Information 7
11. Model Event 7
12. Map 8
13. Embargo 8
14. Courses 9
15. Control Descriptions 10
16. Start 10
17. Control Set-up and Punching Device 11
18. Refreshments During the race 11
19. Finish and timekeeping 12
20. Results 12
21. Complaints 13
22. Protests 14
23. Jury 14
24. IOF Event Adviser 15
25. Controller 16
26. Reports 16
Appendix 1 – The Leibnitz Convention 18

Important changes made for the 2018 edition are denoted by a vertical line in the margin. Note
that this Manual was formerly referred to as the WRE Guidelines.

WRE Manual 2 April 2018

Foreword
World Ranking Events were established by IOF Council in 1998 to replace the previous IOF Elite
Events. At the same time, the IOF World Ranking scheme was created, this being the main feature
which distinguished WREs from the previous IOF Events. The main functions of these events are
• To encourage Federations to promote and develop orienteering by staging high quality
international events.
• To harmonise event quality in different Federations.
• To award rankings points which contribute to the World Ranking Lists.
• To provide a valid way of comparing competitors from very different nations on a common scale,
taking into account the status of the event.
• To conform to contemporary practice in the world of elite sport by establishing World Ranking
Lists for orienteering which are seen as fair and are accepted worldwide.
• To as a motivation for runners to compete at World Ranking Events in their own Federation and in
other Federations.
• To provide a means of establishing qualification criteria and starting orders for major IOF events.
• To develop a Federation League Table to be used (in particular) for determining national quotas
for the World Cup.
The essential rules for WREs can be found in the "Competition Rules for IOF Events – 2018 edition",
along with the “World Ranking Scheme Rules for International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Events –
October 2017” and it is vital to appreciate that they take priority over local rules. Every WRE
Organiser is assumed to know these rules and to have prior experience in organising orienteering
events. The current version is that kept on the IOF web site (http://www.orienteering.org).
The content which follows will help Organisers to achieve the aims of the WRE. They are not a
complete set of instructions for organising the competition, but they aim to cover most of the special
features of the WRE instead.
Text in bold which follows has mandatory status and must be followed by event officials.
Other content refers to material provided for guidance and for information. This Manual must
be read in conjunction with the IOF Competition Rules and the World Ranking Scheme Rules,
and have the same authority. They must be considered as their extension.
Note should also be made of the Leibnitz Convention agreed at the 20th IOF Congress in Austria in
August 2000, which laid down principles for raising the profiles of all IOF Events in the future. A copy
of the Leibnitz Convention is appended (see Appendix 1).
There is no limit on the number of WREs that a Federation may nominate each year, and it is
anticipated that the vast majority will take full advantage of this opportunity. Indeed, it is in the
interests of every Federation to do so as the World Ranking list is used for World elite qualification
purposes.
This Manual is also meant to reassure Federations that most of their top-quality events will already
meet the standards of the WRE without great investment of extra effort. Indeed, many will meet the
standards without any extra work being involved at all. However, there is still a need for quality control
to check that IOF standards are being met, and this is where the role of the IOF Event Adviser is
essential.
The event formula is normally that of individual orienteering races, one for elite men and one for elite
women, held at one of the standard IOF race distances (Sprint, Middle or Long). Any Organiser
wishing to depart from this pattern will need to discuss this with the IOF Event Adviser and the IOF
Foot Orienteering Commission (via its member responsible for the WRE).
The Manual is based on experience with past WREs. They will be changed and improved on the basis
of further experience. Comments and proposals therefore are welcome and should be sent to the IOF
Foot Orienteering Commission or to the IOF Office.
Some definitions:
• “must” refers to statements which are mandatory, i.e. must be followed
• “should” refers to statements where it is strongly advised that they are followed
IOF Foot Orienteering Commission

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1. Application and Allocation
The invitation to apply for a WRE is published by the IOF Office early in the year preceding the
year of the planned event.
Any country and any Organiser may apply to organise a WRE if the following conditions are
fulfilled:
• The Federation is a member of the IOF.
• The application is supported by the Federation.
WRE applications shall be submitted by the Federation to the IOF using the IOF Event
Management Service, IOF Eventor (http://eventor.orienteering.org). Applications from member
Federations for events due to take place in January, February or March must reach the IOF at
least six months prior to the event date. Applications from member Federations for events due
to take place in other months (April – December) should reach the IOF no later than September
30th in the year prior to the event year and shall be approved or rejected by the IOF by
November 30th of the same year.
Late applications may also be accepted in extraordinary circumstances. A late fee of 50 EURO
will be charged for applications received later than 30 November, provided that they are
approved. The most important factor for approving a late application is that an appointed IOF
Event Adviser must have at least 6 months to advise and follow up on the event quality.
It is up to the Organising Federation, Local Organiser and the appointed Event Adviser to assure that
the WRE applied for fulfils the basic requirements:
• High quality of the event in every respect: terrain, maps, organisation and (where appropriate)
media service.
• Potential benefits for development of orienteering in the organising Federation and the region
• The timing of the event; for example, it ought not to clash with another WRE in a nearby
Federation on the same day
Approval of nominated WREs is confirmed by an email generated from IOF Eventor when the
applications have been approved by the IOF. The approval can be conditional which means that the
event is approved and visible in IOF Eventor but the organiser/Federation need to take some actions
in order to fulfil all requirements and maintain the WRE status. If the actions are not taken, the event
will lose its WRE status.
1.2 Rule Deviations
Any requests for rule deviations must be included in the application to host the relevant event.
The deviation can be written in a limited text field or attached as a pdf document within the
application.
Rule 2.11 states “the IOF Council may allow deviations from these rules and norms. Requests
for permission to deviate from them must be sent to the IOF Office at least 6 months prior to
the event.” The consent of the IOF Event Adviser is needed too.
Rule 2.12 states “The IOF Guidelines for each event type should be followed. Significant deviations
require the consent of the IOF Event Adviser.”
Based on experience the rule deviation requests normally are:
1. Map scale for Long distance 10:000. Solution: Apply for deviation. Case by case.
Normally it is not approved.
2. Different start draws/list variations. Solution: See section “Start lists” for advice and
approved variations.
3. Races with qualification races. Solution: Apply for deviation. Case by case. Seek
solution in “Start lists” section.
4. Mass start events. Solution: Apply for deviation. Case by case. Seek solution in “Start
lists” section.
5. Other. Solution: Case by Case.

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Normally, a deviation is evaluated by the IOF Sports administrator, discipline commission
WRE responsible and/or IOF Map Commission.

2. World Ranking Events Basic Criteria

• must be Open Events and equally available for all IOF member Federation athletes
• must provide one men's race and one women's race; these are normally of Long,
Middle or Sprint length, defined in accordance with the IOF Competition Rules,
Appendix 6. For example, a Long WRE course must have a winning time of 70 – 80
minutes for women and 90 – 100 minutes for men, and a map scale of 1:15000 also.
• if any other race format is proposed as a WRE; any application for a rule deviation
should accompany the WRE application form
• should not normally be mass start events nor should they have chasing starts; however,
requests to select mass start events as WREs may in some cases be considered favourably
by the Foot Orienteering Commission
• a WRE event is a single competition event. Where a multi-day event is selected one or
several competition(s) may be chosen as WRE event (s) and must be applied for
individually.
• Where a race is in two parts, with a Qualification or Prologues and a Final, only the
results of the Final race are submitted for rankings purposes.

3. World Cup and WOC

• All World Cup individual A/B Finals count for ranking
• The World Games (TWG) individual races count for ranking purposes
• WOC individual Qualifier races and Finals, count for ranking

4. Start lists
• The start draw for each (Men and Women) elite course should be based on the World
Rankings as at a date determined by the organisers, which should be no more than 21 days
before the date of the race
• Ranking standings of a certain date can be downloaded from
http://ranking.orienteering.org/Ranking
• Should always be based on WRE ranking with a reversed start order where the best ranked
athletes start at the end of the start field
• Sometimes a Federation chooses its National Championships for a WRE. This is acceptable
provided that the event is truly “open”, in particular, that a “foreign” competitor is treated no
differently from a “home” competitor when the Start lists are drawn up
Variations to start lists
(i) Alternative start draw
• The start field may be divided into 3 or more groups, ranked in order based on WRE points.
Within each group, lots are drawn in order to decide the start order. The best ranked group is
at the end of the start field.
(ii) Where there is an Event with two or more consecutive WREs
• the second WRE start order may be based on the first WRE results. Athletes participating in
the second WRE only should be inserted into the start order in positions approximately based
on their existing World Ranking points.
Qualification races

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If a WRE has qualification race(s) the qualification heats should be balanced by basing them on the
current World Rankings. All the Finals races (e.g. A Final and B Final) count for WRE points.
Too many entries – Split courses
Events with a large entry where the organiser splits elite athletes into two courses: results for both
courses must be submitted separately and will be used for World Ranking calculations. The best
ranked athletes should start in the same elite class. Split courses need to be communicated to the
Eventor support.

5. General Information and Invitation (Bulletin 1)

Bulletin 1 shall be available 4 months before the event. Bulletin 2 shall be available 1 week
before the event. Bulletin 1 contains general information about the event is published on the
event website and in IOF Eventor. The Bulletin must give prominence to the WRE status of the
event, using the IOF logo to emphasise this.
The minimum information to be included is given in the IOF Competition Rules (8.12). Please
note that the IOF Event Adviser’s name must be listed separately from the organising team to
emphasise that they are independent of the organisation.

6. Website
As a minimum, the WRE website should:-
• Be available in English
• contain all Bulletin information (see WRE Manual section 5 and the IOF Competition Rules
8.12) as and when it becomes available
• provide a secure method of paying for the event, either as an individual or as a group.
• contain relevant accommodation information, perhaps also including online booking for
accommodation
• publish all race results as soon as possible after they are known; IOF Rules now state that
this must be on the day of the event.

7. IOF Eventor
The IOF Event Management Service IOF Eventor (http://eventor.orienteering.org) was launched in
December 2014. This service provides a single entry point for entries to IOF Events and World
Ranking Events (WREs), for start lists, competition information and results, as well as for rankings
and World Cup. IOF Eventor also serves as a register of Athletes and has the IOF Calendar with
events and details. IOF Eventor is the core of the whole World Ranking system where Athletes IDs
and World Ranking Results are administrated.
After the WRE application has been approved by IOF the Event page will be visible on the Event
Calendar. By default, the Federation that made the application has the ability to update the Event
information. The local organiser and the Federation should agree on who will make the updates in IOF
Eventor. Preferably it will be the person within the local organising team who is responsible for IOF
Eventor updates. For this person to get access they should:
1. Create a personal IOF Eventor Account + Add the Club (Organisation).
2. Ask the Club Administrator, The Federation Administrator or IOF Administrator to add the
Event Organiser role to their IOF Eventor account
For WRE organisers the IOF Eventor service covers the following functions which must be kept
updated:
• publish bulletins, embargoed areas, link to event web page etc; add, edit the contact details
and roles for the event, collect entries

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 • collect accommodation & services bookings
• export lists
• import start lists
• import result lists
All WRE organisers must give athletes the possibility to enter the WRE via IOF Eventor, For more
information about how to get started with IOF Eventor, please see the “How to” instructions and user
guides at http://eventor.orienteering.org/Home/HelpAndSupport.

8. Entries
There is little point in having an early closing date for entries. The closing date should be no earlier
than three weeks before the event and every effort should also be made to accept entries later than
this.
WRE entries must primarily be setup and collected using IOF Eventor. It is not recommended that IOF
Eventor is used to collect entries for classes other than W/M21E because participants will need to
have a user account in IOF Eventor in order to enter. Once a user account has been created, athletes
can enter WREs with only a few mouse clicks.
It is possible to use the organisers’ local system for WRE entries as a parallel system, but in that case
the organiser should manually add the names with correct IOF IDs into IOF Eventor after the entry
deadline. This means the organiser must make sure that they can import the results into IOF Eventor
and that the result lists include the appropriate and correct IOF IDs for each athlete. Athletes who
don’t yet have an IOF ID will get one by registering a user account in IOF Eventor.
Please note that all runners on the M/W21 elite courses can be ranked as a result of their
performance in the race. Note also that this applies irrespective of the age class of the runner. Thus,
for example, a M18 may gain World Rankings points having competed successfully in the M21 World
Ranking course.

9. Final Details (Bulletin 2)

"Bulletin 2" contains the final competition information and must be available on the event
website and in IOF Eventor one week before the date of the event and preferably 2 – 3 weeks
earlier than this.
The Bulletin must give prominence to the WRE status of the event, using the IOF logo to
emphasise this.
• It must give at least the minimum information stated in IOF Rule 8.13.
• Also a reminder that IOF Competition Rules forbid the use of GPS devices unless there is
“no display or audible feedback”.

10. Other Information

Only in special cases may official information be given later than in the Final Details. If this is
necessary, it should be displayed and given in writing to the competitors as soon as possible (as well
as being published on the event website).

11. Model Event

IOF Rule 11 gives details of how Model Events should be put on for all IOF events. However, it is
recognised that a few WREs will be quite small events, even though of high quality, and the IOF will
understand if the Organisers argue that it is impractical to stage a Model Event. However, if the terrain
to be used is special in some way, fairness dictates that a model event giving examples of terrain
types to be used should be organised. This could be achieved by the issue of small sections of map of

WRE Manual 7 April 2018

the warm-up area beforehand. A small number of control flags would be hung in this area, each one
shown and correctly described on the warm-up map.
The larger WREs will of course be expected to stage a Model Event in accordance with Rule 11.

12. Map
The map must correspond to the "International Specification for Orienteering Maps”
(ISOM2017), or the corresponding specification for Sprint maps (ISSOM 2007) and should be of
good international standard.
The map must be surveyed in good time. A first pre-print, preferably by computer, should be
available at least before the IOF Event Adviser comes for the first visit. A last field survey should be
made a few months before the event.
The scale of the map is 1:15,000 for Long and 1:10,000 (enlarged from 1:15000) for Middle
distance and 1:5,000 or 1:4,000 for Sprint races. The use of any other scale needs the
recommendation of the IOF Event Adviser and a rule deviation application.
Maps should be printed using offset printing methods. If non-offset printing is to be used, the
printing will have to be approved by the IOF Event Adviser.
Printed copies of the competition maps (one for each WRE class) must be sent to the IOF Map
Commission), after the WRE is over together with details of exactly how they were printed. The
Map Commission will assess the printing quality so it is essential that the maps are either
original competition maps or at least printed with the same printer as the competition maps.
The Map Commission will issue a report about the results of the assessment to the organiser,
Federation and the appointed IOF Event Adviser.
A document entitled Guidelines for using non-offset printed maps in WRE gives more information on
non-offset printing and is available for download from the Mapping section of the Map Commission’s
area of the IOF website.
If an orienteering map of the area or of a part of the area exists or has existed fair conditions must be
created for all competitors. A copy of the map must therefore be available to competitors when they
arrive, either in full colour or as a B&W photocopy and should be available on the event website
beforehand. Rule 15.5 If a previous orienteering map of the competition area exists, colour copies of
the most recent edition must be displayed for all competitors on the day prior to the competition.
On the race day maps of the competition area must not be used by competitors or other persons until
officially permitted. It should be mentioned in the Final Details that possession or use of any
orienteering or other maps of the competition area is prohibited during the competition day at the race
site until officially permitted. This is valid for competitors as well as for others.
Large maps should be cut to the size necessary for the course.
The IOF logo must be printed on the map and the WRE status of the event should be included
either on the map or on the course overprint.
The competition map (if not waterproof) should be sealed in a transparent plastic bag of reasonable
size (not much larger than the map itself) and reasonable thickness (0.20 mm or 8/1000ths of an
inch). Experience has shown that thinner plastic bags are not sufficiently stable.
Alternatively, waterproof paper may be used for the maps. Some types of waterproof paper (uncoated
types) do not offer the same clarity as normal paper, and some types of waterproof paper can be
difficult to clean when dirty. There are also issues of drying after printing for some paper types.
The competitors' maps are usually returned after the race. Alternatively, new clean maps may be
given later on.

13. Embargo
In accordance with IOF Rule 14.3, the competition terrain must be embargoed as soon as it has
been decided in order to avoid problems resulting from especially home-nation elite runners going
into WRE competition areas once these have been decided. WRE applicants are asked to:

WRE Manual 8 April 2018

 1. at the time of the application: publish adequate information on embargoed areas on
the Federation’s website/event web site.
2. when the event is approved: Publish the embargoed areas in IOF Eventor as soon as
the event is approved
a. It is preferable to use the following guide and template. Embargoed Areas for IOF
Events – Template v1.0 Embargoed Areas for IOF Events – Guide v1.0
b. Or add a link to embargoed areas representation elsewhere.
3. At –4 months, publish the embargoed areas in Bulletin 1.
The information must include the names of the areas embargoed and a map clearly showing
the outer limits of each area. It should be made clear whether or not passage through the areas on
public roads etc. is allowed. An accompanying statement should emphasise that the embargo extends
to anyone who through their knowledge of the terrain or the events could influence the WRE results.
Embargoed areas must include all planned competition areas and additional reserve areas.
Whilst permissions are being finalised, it is wise to embargo all areas under consideration; areas not
to be used, or which become available for training, can be de-embargoed later.
Embargoing rules in town areas pose a particular challenge, because the Sprint Distance that
commonly uses town areas is a ‘shop window’ for media and spectators where we want to bring
orienteering to the public.
There are three alternative solutions:
1. Strict embargo; normally this is the preferred option.
2. Participants are allowed to be in the area without an orienteering map until the organiser
starts setting out the controls and making other preparations for the competition – typically 3 –
4 hours before the competition. Training with a map and route choice testing is not allowed.
3. A mix of 1) and 2) where typically the finish area is open and most of the competition area is
strictly embargoed
No fixed practice exists for Sprint races. The alternative above most suited to the area in question is
adopted, in agreement with the IOF Event Adviser.
The full information and maps covering embargoed areas are published on the event website
as soon as it is set up, and printed in all Bulletins.
Any alleged breach of the embargo rules must be notified at once to the IOF Office and to the
IOF Event Adviser.

14. Courses
The prime requirement for the courses is fairness. There must be no doubtful controls, no
elements of chance as regards route choice and no map errors which might influence the race.
Controls where the accidental presence of another runner is a great help to other runners should be
avoided, e.g. controls within a small depression or a pit. The same applies to controls where tracking
may be a great help, e.g. in areas with dense ground vegetation.
In many competitions, the WRE courses will form just two courses out of very many more than this
and fairness becomes harder to achieve. When this happens, the number of controls which are
common to other courses must be an absolute minimum. One way of achieving this is to aim for an
average of no more than two runners passing through any given control per minute.
For example, if the start interval is 2 minutes then no more than 4 courses should share any control.
Of course, the ideal is that unique control sites are selected for the M/W21E courses, but this is not
compulsory and there is no reason why controls on the M21E and W21E courses should all be
separate either.
The second requirement for the courses is good orienteering. The courses must be as difficult
as the terrain permits.

WRE Manual 9 April 2018

The IOF "Principles for Course Planning" (Appendix 2 of the 2016 Competition Rules) must be
respected. Advice may also be obtained from Guidelines for Course Planning – World Class Events,
available from http://orienteering.org/foot-orienteering/event-organizing/organisers-guidelines/.
The control proximity rules must be obeyed: 19.4 and Appendix 2, #3.5.5
Controls must not be sited within 30 metres of each other (15 metres for map scales 1:5000 or
1:4000). Only when the control features are distinctly different in the terrain as well as on the
map, should controls be placed closer than 60 metres (30 metres for map scales 1:5000 or
1:4000). The distance between the controls is measured in a straight line.
Course Lengths: Rule 16.3 states that “The course lengths must be given as the length of the
straight line from the start via the controls to the finish deviating for, and only for, physically
impassable obstructions (high fences, lakes, impassable cliffs etc.), prohibited areas and
marked routes.” Of course in urban terrain, there are a lot of impassable obstructions and the
shortest route that the runner can take may be twice as long as the direct line. Course
planning software will tend to give the direct line distance and often that is quoted as the
course length. However, that is incorrect and you should ensure that the correct distance is
given.

15. Control Descriptions

The International Specification for Control Descriptions (2018 edition) is the basis for the
preparation of all control descriptions with symbols. The control descriptions for the Model
Event must be made in the same way as those for the race.
The control descriptions for all races must be available to competitors before they start, one
common method being to provide these at -1 or -2 minutes (start time = 0 minutes) and should
be printed on waterproof paper to make them weatherproof. They must also be printed on the front
of the map.
The definition of special symbols for the control descriptions must be given in Bulletin 2 at the
latest. Such special features must be demonstrated in the Model Event or by photographs or
drawings in Bulletin 2.

16. Start
The Leibnitz Convention requires that the Start and Finish be together and both be in the Assembly
area. This should be adhered to wherever possible so that the event is made into as big a spectacle
as possible. However, it is accepted that it is not always possible to do this when the World Ranking
courses form only part of a much larger event although having the pre-Start near the Finish is one
way of doing so.
For efficient organisation of an individual start, a pre-Start should be used. At the pre-Start, the
following should be available:
• a quiet waiting area
• a warm-up area in the forest
• toilets
• display of official start-Iist and race-time
• drinks as at the refreshment controls
• a model control
The start area should be quiet and well separated from the pre-Start.
Media representatives may be allowed to go to the Start if it can be ensured that any information
obtained about maps, terrain, race layout and route choice decisions will remain confidential until the
last start.

WRE Manual 10 April 2018

Some media representatives want to take photographs of the competitors just after the Start.
Depending on the situation this may be allowed. Bounds of access in the Start area must be marked
clearly and supervised.
Modern electronic punching allows starts to be made by “punching” at the Start control unit (popularly
called a “punching start”) but this is not so suitable for WREs and the conventional timed start (using a
clock synchronised with race time) should normally be used. Alternatively, an electronic start gate
may be used. If a punching start is used, control measures must be put in place to ensure that
competitors adhere to their allocated start times.
Late starters must be set off according to rule 22.9. The question of whether the lateness is the
organiser’s fault (and therefore whether their start time can be adjusted) should be dealt with at the
finish.

17. Control Set-up and Punching Device

National peculiarities for the control set-up should be avoided.
The control code number may be on the flag or mounted vertically or horizontally on the post.
Code numbers like “M1” must not be used (see Rule 19.6). IOF Competition Rule 19 (Control
set-up and equipment) should of course be observed here.
The SPORTident and Emit electronic systems (both traditional and Touch-Free) are both
accepted officially by the IOF and electronic punching systems have now become the norm at
all major IOF events including WREs. The SFR electronic punching system received
provisional approval for use at WRE level in January 2015.
A backup for the electronic punch must be provided. In the case of traditional Emit, this is
automatically provided by the pin which marks the back-up label (where used). This label must
be securely attached to the Emit card and made of sufficiently strong material that it will
survive the conditions likely to be encountered during a competition (including immersion in
water). In the case of SPORTident and Emit touch-free, the backup must be a needle punch or
a second unit.
IOF Competition Rule 20 (Punching systems) and Appendix 4 (Approved punching systems)
give the latest regulations regarding the use of e-punching. The list of approved systems is
available on the IOF website under ‘Resources’ / ‘IT’ / ‘Electronic Punching’.
Competitors who own their own e-cards should be allowed to use them in the WRE, provided that
they submit their card numbers in good time to the Organisers.
Sportident Advice for Event Advisers and Controllers and Emit Advice for Event Advisers and
Controllers are documents giving advice on the use of the SPORTIdent and Emit punching systems.
They are on the IOF website under Documents for Event Advisers in the Event advising part of the
Foot Orienteering section.

18. Refreshments During the race

Refreshments must be available at least every 25 minutes during the race, if the estimated
winning time is more than 30 minutes. This gives the following minimum numbers of
refreshment points:

Expected winning Number of

time (minutes) refreshment points
35 - 50 1
55 - 70 2

WRE Manual 11 April 2018

The refreshment points are sometimes placed on legs which cross easily accessible linear features
such as forest roads. They must be marked on the map with the conventional symbol and must
be as accurately sited on the ground as if they were control sites.
However, these points are much better placed at or very near to control sites so that competitors are
certain to pass by them, whatever their route choices.
It is sufficient to offer water and beakers. Helpers should fill the beakers and ensure that drinks are
available to all competitors, especially to the late starters. If the water is of doubtful quality, it must
be boiled first.
Each refreshment point should be manned throughout the race and must be replenished frequently
too. The situation where a late starter arrives at a drinks control to find it unmanned and
without water must be avoided.
At the Organiser’s discretion, competitors may be allowed to have their own refreshments brought to
the refreshment controls.

19. Finish and timekeeping

The arrangement in the Finish area should cater as much for the media representatives as for the
spectators. They should be able to line the last 100 m of the course and take photographs and urge
the runners on. The boundary between the area for spectators and the running area must be
clear and supervised.
If the last control is outside the view of the spectators, the way from the Finish to the last
control must also be cordoned off and supervised continuously. Otherwise people with cameras
will tend to approach the last control as the event progresses.
It is assumed that electronic punching will be used and that the same system is used for race timing
also. There is still a debate about whether punching systems completely comply with the accuracy
required by IOF Rule 23.6 but if the WRE is part of an event with large numbers, the practicalities
dictate that finish times recorded by either system must be taken as official race times.
A punching finish may be used where the competitor finishes by punching on the finish line. It would
be difficult to use any other system (e.g. an electronic gate) as the Finish officials are unlikely to be
able to guarantee perfect matching of competitors’ race numbers with the finish times provided by the
gate – for example, there would be a problem of keeping runners in order after they had gone through
the gate. However, light beam systems may be used if the numbers going through the Finish system
are deemed to be manageable.
A back-up timekeeping system is recommended and should be completely independent from the main
timekeeping. It should be operated by other persons and based on another power source. It need not
be situated on the Finish line. It may be a few metres in advance of it. It should be operated
continuously, not only when problems with the main timekeeping system arise.
Video recording at the Finish line is recommended. If a big digital clock is in the range of the video
camera and if it is used for all competitors, or if some other means of displaying race time along with
the video record is used, the video record may be used as a back-up timekeeping system. Ensure in
that case that the race numbers are legible on the video screen.
There should be drinks (water being the minimum standard) available at the Finish for all competitors.
The performance of the speaker (commentator) is most important for the atmosphere at the Finish.
The progress of the WRE race should be the central concern.

20. Results
There are two important aspects to WRE results, those displayed on the day, and those uploaded to
IOF Eventor for WR points calculation purposes.
The first stage in satisfying these demands is that the Organiser must appoint someone
(English-speaking) to be responsible for the WRE results. The name and contact details of this
person are submitted to the IOF in the WRE application.

WRE Manual 12 April 2018

The primary format for importing results into IOF Eventor is IOF XML 3.0 format, further details
of which can be found at http://orienteering.org/resources/it/data-standard-3-0/. Organisers
can test compatibility with their result systems by downloading a test file from
https://code.google.com/p/iofdatastandard/source/browse/#svn%2Ftrunk%2FExamples%253Fs
tate%253Dclosed. Organisers who are not able to produce XML files will be able to import
results using the XLS template available for download at
http://eventor.orienteering.org/Documents/ResultImportTemplate.xls. Regardless of which
results format is used the files must always include correct IOF IDs for all athletes.
The IOF will not calculate ranking points if the approved results format is not followed or the
appropriate IOF IDs are not included in the result file.
The Results Official must contact the IOF Eventor support team (eventor@orienteering.org)
well in advance if there are any questions regarding the transfer of results data.
Where the M18E/W18E and/or M20E/W20E classes are competing on the same courses and
under the same conditions as the M21E/W21E classes, competitors in those other classes
shall be included in the World Ranking calculations with all such classes on the course
included in a single results list. For these other classes to be eligible for World Ranking
Points, the start list must be prepared for the course as a whole, not separately for each class.
If the results are modified for any reason at a later stage, the IOF (results@orienteering.org)
must be informed immediately so that ranking points can be recalculated.
In the Finish area, a results display must give the final times of all runners continuously
throughout the race. A competitor's final time should be displayed as soon as possible after
finishing.
The final results list should include:
• name of the event, date, Organiser, name of the map, type of the event
• class, distance, climb, number of controls
• for each competitor position, first name, last name, Federation, split times, final time and
IOF ranking ID
• All competitors who appeared on the start list must be included. When competitors are not
placed, the reason must be given, e.g. did not start, mispunched or retired.

21. Complaints
In the first instance, a potential problem should be taken to the Organiser as a complaint. This avoids
trivial points where the decision is obvious from being brought immediately to the Jury.
Complaints can be made by anybody in writing. They must be made as “soon as possible” after
the problem is recognised. The Organiser decides whether a complaint has been made in time
or not. During the event, “as soon as possible” usually means within 15 minutes of the last
result being displayed. This should be made known to the competitors beforehand and an
announcement to this effect should be made at the close of the competition also.
The Organiser should provide a complaints/queries point (could be a small tent near the Finish) where
competitors can submit any complaints or query other aspects of the event. The Organiser should
prepare a special form for this purpose 1 with spaces for competitor name, age class, Federation,
other ID (e.g. competitor number) and contact details (e.g. hotel name, mobile phone number), as well
as for details of the complaint or protest.
The Organisers investigate the case, seeking appropriate advice from quarters (including the
Event Adviser) other than that of the Jury. These may be the organising committee, the event
leader, another group or another person, and it may depend on the special case. When the
Organisers have collected all the necessary information and heard all people involved, they

1 A Complaint Protest form is also available on the IOF website (see under Foot Orienteering – Event Organising
- Organisers’ Guidelines) which should be available on the day of the event to help ensure that
Complaints/Protests are properly recorded.

WRE Manual 13 April 2018

then make their decision. The Organisers must inform the complainant about the decision. If
the case is of general interest, e.g. in case of a disqualification, the decision should be made known
generally by the speaker (commentator) or with the result list.
A typical example for a complaint is by a competitor disqualified for mispunching who believes they
have been to the right control. When this is displayed on the result board, the competitor can make a
complaint. This gives the Organiser the opportunity to check the mispunch and to submit his
arguments for disqualification (if this appears to be the correct decision). Usually such cases are
settled after this discussion. If the Organisers stick to their opinion and if the competitor cannot accept
this, a protest to the Jury may be made.
The Planners should provide maps with all controls marked on so that disqualifications can be
explained to competitors who seek clarification.

22. Protests
A protest can only be made after a complaint. The Jury (see section 22 below) acts as a court
of second instance and bases its final decision on the Organiser's investigations and its
reflections about the case
A protest is made in writing to the IOF Event Adviser or another member of the Jury. A protest
can be made by anybody having an interest in the case, e.g. competitors, event officials. If a
protest is made without a previous complaint, it should normally be transferred from the Jury
to the Organiser and first handled as a complaint.
Protests must be made no later than 15 minutes after the decision about a complaint is known.
Protests received after this time limit may be considered at the discretion of the jury if there
are valid exceptional circumstances which must be explained in the protest.
There is no fee for protests in WRE events. Even if the rules of the organising Federation
mention a protest fee, this is not applicable to the WRE as the IOF Rules take priority over the
local ones.
During the event the decision about a protest is usually taken within a few hours. The decision is
made known orally immediately to the protester and to the other parties involved. If the case is
of general interest, e.g. in case of disqualification, the decision should be made known generally by
the speaker (commentator). Later on it is given in writing to all parties.
The lOF Event Adviser annexes the written decision to his report. The IOF Rules Commission
will collect the Jury decisions for instructional purposes and for the development of the Rules.

23. Jury
The Jury of a WRE event must consist of 3 voting members together with the IOF Event
Adviser as chairman who has no vote. 2 They should be IOF licensed Event Advisers if possible,
preferably from different Federations. Where this is not possible, they should be as experienced as
possible. In many cases, they will be the same Jury members as have already been appointed for any
non-WRE races being held at the same time as the WRE. The only difference being that the IOF
Event Adviser now chairs the Jury.
The IOF Event Adviser and all voting Jury members must be present at the race and at all Jury
meetings. Jury members should be familiar with all major activities during the event, e.g. Model
Event, Start, Finish.
The presence of an Organiser's representative on the Jury is not necessary, although the Jury may
require him or her to attend. The representative's task is to present the Organiser's view of the case
and the local and national customs.
The Organiser must ensure that copies of all the necessary regulatory texts are available:
• Competition Rules for IOF Events

2 Please see also Jury Guidelines at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Jury-Guidelines6.pdf

WRE Manual 14 April 2018

• These Guidelines
• IOF Anti-Doping Code
• IOF Control Descriptions
• International Specification for Orienteering Maps (or ISSOM for Sprint events)
The Organiser must ensure that the Jury has a suitable room (or equivalent) for its meetings
preferably with computer and printer for its decisions.
Since the Jury's decisions are final, the Jury should examine a case very carefully, consult all
regulations necessary and hear from all those involved. No special procedure is fixed for the Jury. The
hearings and discussions are usually not public. If the Jury feels uncertain it may ask other
experienced persons for help and advice, e.g. IOF officials, licensed Event Advisers. They may be
able to give an interpretation of the rules or to remember similar cases.
The Organiser must not ask the Jury or any voting Jury member about its opinion on a special
case.
A Jury member being consulted by the Organiser or anybody else should not give their opinion on the
special case before a protest has been made. This avoids compromising decisions taken later. The
Jury must not give directions to the Organisers as long as there is no protest.

24. IOF Event Adviser

The IOF Foot Orienteering Commission approves the IOF Event Adviser selected by the host
Federation for the WRE. This task is delegated to the National Federation. IOF Event Advisers must
hold an IOF licence. If possible, an IOF Event Adviser from a neighbouring country understanding
the Organiser's language is appointed in order to facilitate contact and reduce travelling costs. In most
cases, however, the Event Adviser will come from the same Federation as the Organiser. The IOF
Event Adviser’s name should be given to the IOF at the time of WRE application.
NB A list of IOF Event Advisers is available on the IOF website in the Foot Orienteering > Event
Advising section.
The IOF Event Adviser is above all a helper and adviser of the Organiser. It is not for the IOF Event
Adviser to organise the WRE, but to support the Organiser as far as is necessary and possible. The
IOF Event Adviser shares with the Organiser the responsibility for the outcome of a WRE in all
respects. This includes terrain, maps, courses, media service, etc. Therefore the IOF Event Adviser
can give instructions and orders to the Organiser in any respect if the successful conduct of the event
is endangered or if the rules are not followed. If the IOF Event Adviser and the Organiser cannot settle
a dispute, the case must be brought to the IOF.
Some special tasks of the IOF Event Adviser are:
• to advise the Organiser and Controller, in particular on the special features of a WRE
• to ensure that the M/W21E results are uploaded to IOF Eventor (in appropriate file format)
on the day of the event
• to advise the Organiser and Controller on the IOF Rules and the Guidelines if necessary
• to oversee the whole event, identifying weak points and risks of failure and bringing them
to the Organiser's attention
• to chair the Jury
• to approve terrain, maps, courses and their planning (M/W21E only)
• to approve all Bulletins
• to approve all fees
• to notify IOF Office if the finalised results will not be uploaded to IOF Eventor on the day of
the event, stating when results are expected to become available.
The following points do not form part of the IOF Event Adviser's compulsory duties

WRE Manual 15 April 2018

• Course planning
• Contact with national and local authorities, land owners, etc.
• Contact with sponsors
However, the IOF Event Adviser may support the Organiser, Planner and Controller in these matters
also if he/she sees fit to do so.
The IOF Event Advisers are not police nor are they spies! Their relations with the Organiser should be
based on confidence and the consciousness of a shared objective. The Organiser must keep the
IOF Event Adviser in touch with the progress of the preparations and with all essential
decisions. The Organiser must give to the IOF Event Adviser all requested information.
The IOF Event Adviser keeps mainly in the background and leaves the Organiser as free as possible,
only intervening if the rules are not respected or if the successful conduct of the event is endangered.
The IOF Event Adviser and the Organiser must get in touch with each other immediately after
appointment. Usually the IOF Event Adviser visits the Organiser twice: firstly about one year before
the event, mainly for approving the terrain and courses. The second visit will take place just before the
event, for final approval and to be present during the event too. Depending on the Organiser's
experience, the problems arising and the travel distances, more or fewer visits may be necessary.
The IOF Event Advisers work in an honorary capacity. The Organisers cover the costs of the
IOF Event Adviser’s accommodation, meals and transport during visits and during the event.
The IOF Event Adviser is required not to divulge any information about the event in so far as
that information is not generally known. This applies in particular to the competitors of the IOF
Event Adviser's country. The IOF Event Adviser may report freely only to the IOF Office and
the IOF Foot Orienteering Commission.
The Event Advisers Handbook for World Ranking Events also gives valuable advice and guidance
and is available from the Event Advising section of the IOF website.
The document Instructions for World Ranking Event organisers is available from the Organisers’
Guidelines section of the IOF website.

25. Controller
The WRE must have a Controller (called “National Controller” by some Federations) whose
major responsibility is to confirm that the event is organised fairly and in accordance with the
IOF Rules and this Manual. The role of the Controller for local events can vary from Federation to
Federation thus it is necessary to define some of the duties which are essential for the Controller of an
IOF event.
In particular, the Controller:-
• Must approve the planned courses, ensuring that they are fair
• Must approve every control site and control description by visiting each in the terrain
• Must approve the hanging of control flags and the siting of each general control
assembly
• Must approve the production of control description sheets
• Must be present throughout the event
The roles of Controller and Event Adviser may be combined.
NB Final approval of these matters rests with the IOF Event Adviser.

26. Reports
IOF Rule number 32 does not normally apply to WREs. Reports to the IOF from either the
Organiser and/or the IOF Event Adviser must only be made if there are unusual circumstances,
for example if the Jury has had to meet, the event has had to be cancelled or if a course is

WRE Manual 16 April 2018

voided.
However, copies of the maps are to be sent to the IOF (see section 11) instead
The IOF Timing and Punching System Report form must be completed using the online form available
on the IOF website under Event Organising / Report Templates.
NB Documents relevant to Event Advisers are available from the IOF website in the Documents for
Event Advisers part of the Foot Orienteering > Event Advising section. These include the following
report templates:-
• Template IOF Event Adviser Visit Report
• Template IOF Event Adviser Final Report

Also there is the further advice referred to in section 24:-

• Event Advisers Handbook for World Ranking Events

WRE Manual 17 April 2018

Appendix 1 – The Leibnitz Convention

EVENT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND ORIENTEERING ON TV AND INTERNET

We, the Members of the IOF, attending the 20th IOF General Assembly in Leibnitz, Austria,
on the 4 August 2000, hereby declare that

"It is of decisive importance to raise the profile of the sport to further the spread of orienteering
to more people and new areas, and to get orienteering into the Olympic Games. The main
vehicles to achieve this are:

• to organise attractive and exciting orienteering events which are of high quality for
competitors, officials, media, spectators, sponsors, and external partners

• to make IOF events attractive for TV and Internet

We shall aim to:

• increase the visibility of our sport by organising our events closer to where people are

• make our event centres more attractive by giving increased attention to the design and
quality of installations

• improve the event centre atmosphere, and the excitement, by having both Start and Finish
at the centre

• increase television and other media coverage by ensuring that our events provide more
and better opportunities for producing thrilling sports programmes

• improve media service by better catering for the needs of media representatives (in terms
of communication facilities, access to runners at Start/Finish and in the forest, continuous
intermediate time information, food and beverages, etc)

• pay more attention to promoting our sponsors and external partners in connection with our
IOF events

We, the Members of the IOF, expect that these measures shall be considered by all future
Organisers of IOF events."

Leibnitz, Austria, 4 August 2000

WRE Manual 18 April 2018