Know your sport: For those who are orienteering enthusiasts, it may not

seem necessary to answer this question. However, those

Finding out more…
new to the sport may well ask it and expect a simple
So what is answer. In practice though it is not that easy since there For several years, the BKO Newsletter has published a series of articles covering a wide
are many varied versions of the sport and, trying to range of orienteering topics. These are all available for download from the ‘What is
Orienteering’ page of the BKO website (see the ‘Club Information’ section). The complete
orienteering?
include them all within a simple definition creates
problems. Here then is a short description to help list (with direct links) is provided below with the different leaflets grouped into topics:
newcomers know what orienteering actually is!
Different orienteering formats:
A publicity leaflet produced by British Orienteering states: • Events, Competitions and Activities
Orienteering is a challenging outdoor adventure sport that exercises • Long, Middle or Sprint?
both the mind and the body. The aim is to navigate in sequence • Night Orienteering
between control points marked on a unique orienteering map and • TrailO
decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It
• Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO)
does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or
jog the course and progress at your own pace. • Orienteering Relays

This does incorporate most aspects (but not all!) of the sport. As a • Permanent Orienteering Courses
competitive sport, it is open to all and can be enjoyed in many different • The JK International Festival
ways. At its most competitive, orienteers are athletes who maintain a
high level of fitness in order to race at speed across the terrain whilst still Taking part
navigating accurately. For these orienteers, there are national, regional
and world championships with selection for the national team being an • What to Wear?
important incentive as a way of progressing to a future world • Colour-coded Courses and Technical Difficulty
championship medal. • Electronic Timing: Emit and SI
But it does not have to be seen in that way! Many ‘orienteers’ enjoy the • Compasses
opportunity to visit local woods or country parks and to walk a new route • Map Scales and Pacing
as set out by the course - speed may not be a consideration. They may choose to go round as a pair, • Control Descriptions
a family or a group - at most events this is perfectly acceptable. Children will often initially go around a
course with a parent or teacher so as to gain confidence in map • ISOM 2017 - The New Map Symbols
reading. Age is no problem either. For the very youngest ‘orienteer’, Explained
special courses are sometimes provided where the map reading is • Up and Down: Using Contours
kept very simple and the route to be followed is shown on the ground • Vegetation - From Yellow to White to Green
by a string. Courses are also provided suitable for all age groups
which take into account the declining strength and endurance of the
older competitor - currently there are competitors in their 90s. In most Performance and Technique
cases results are based on the speed taken to complete the • Ranking Scores
designated course although even that is not always the case. In • National Incentive Schemes
TrailO, it is the more the ability to accurately compare the map to the
• Techniques: CAR(E) and RAG
terrain which is critical.
• Post-race Analysis
There are though variations on the basic concept. The definition
• Planning, Training and Competitions
above states ‘outdoor’ - there have been events held inside buildings.
It also states ‘run, walk or jog’ - but • Developing GB Talent
there are versions of orienteering for
cyclists (MTBO) and for skiers (SkiO) Administration
and versions allowing wheelchair uses
to compete with the able-bodied • The Early Days of Orienteering
(TrailO). Another variation is to allow • Administering the Sport
competitors to choose the order in which they visit controls so in these • Event Officials
events the ‘sequence’ is not important. What all these variations • Where do orienteering maps come from?
have in common though is the use of the map to create a
challenging competition. • BKO's Event Locations
• Welfare Issues in Orienteering
As a competitive sport, it is an individual test where decision taking
and accurate navigation provide the mental challenge. This aspect • Top Orienteering Websites
makes the structure of an event rather different from, for example, • Event Safety
cross-country. For many events, competitors start at minute intervals • Land Permission
so that you are not racing alongside others. For large events, this
means that people may be starting over a period of 2 or even 3 hours.
They are then also finishing over a long period so it will not be known For more information, see British Orienteering at: https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/
who is the fastest until later in the day.

Published in the Berkshire Orienteers Newsletter, March 2020