Sports orienteering in details

Orienteering is a sport where participants cover a distance by passing checkpoints. The route is not known in advance to the athletes, they receive a map of the area before the start. Orienteering is carried out mainly on rough terrain, sometimes in the city. Courses are usually from 5 to 15 kilometers in length, but there are also twenty-four hour competitions. Let us look at this sport in details.

Orienteering disciplines

There are several orienteering disciplines. They differ in many criteria.

Orienteering in a given direction is a discipline, in terms of which participants pass the checkpoints in a given order. The order of passing checkpoints is marked on the map, which is issued before the start. The competitor who covers the course in the correct order in the shortest time wins.

The Labyrinth, or Ultra sprint, is a special kind of orienteering. The area of the route is very small, and the length of the course is 100-500 meters. There are artificial obstacles on the route (unlike natural obstacles in orienteering in natural conditions).

Orienteering by choice differs from orienteering in a given direction. In this case participants are allowed to walk the course in any order. The map shows the course in no particular order: only the start, control points and the finish are marked there. There are several types of orienteering by choice:

• The course in the shortest possible time must be completed in the shortest time with the highest number of points.
• Orienteering on a marked track requires passing as many control points as possible and marking them on the map. At the finish line, the judges check the maps of the competitors. If an athlete marks a control point inaccurately, a penalty is imposed.

Trail orienteering is an orienteering discipline originally designed for people with disabilities. Gradually, it became popular among amateurs, and nowadays everyone is welcome to take part in orienteering.

Types of orienteering

Apart from the disciplines listed above, the International Federation of Orienteering recognizes four types of orienteering.

The classic and most popular form of orienteering is orienteering by running. In the city, you should wear normal running outfit, but for orienteering in the forest, you will need special clothing that protects against insects and thorny plants. It is usually made of durable but lightweight and breathable materials. Map, compass, flashlight (for night orienteering) are also needed.

Ski orienteering is conducted on cross-country skis on a previously prepared “grid” of trails. Unlike cross-country skiing, it is more difficult to quickly change direction if you make a navigation error. There are different types of tracks on the course: fast and wide, slow and narrow.

Cycling orienteering implies covering the distance on a bicycle on trails and roads with different surfaces.

Distances

The terrain for an orienteering race must fulfill several conditions regardless of the nature and format of the race. The terrain must be passable for all competitors, especially for ski and bike starts. The terrain must be accessible to vehicles.

Control points are not gathered in one place. It is important to create the most varied segments between controls. Somewhere they can be short but difficult to master; somewhere they can be long and uncomplicated. The most interesting distance is the one with different technical difficulty and constant change of direction.

The control points are planned in a special way so that each of them has several options for access. Thus, joint control hunting by several teams is avoided and participants have the opportunity to construct their own unique route.

Rules

In orienteering, there are special rules for both organizers and competitors.

Organizers are obliged to provide participants with a detailed map of the area, a route legend and a route book, if it is implied in the competition. The map should indicate the value of the controls: hard to reach ones get more points than easy and close ones. They must warn the competitors about possible difficulties during the route and provide safety of participants at the start-finish line.

Organizers have the right to disqualify a participant or a team for unsportsmanlike conduct or gross violation of competition rules and to award winners in different categories.

In turn, competitors should not start the race beforehand. Before going to the start, competitors sign a waiver of claims to the organizers in case any health incident occurs in the course of the race. For the same reason, persons under 18 years of age are not allowed to take part in serious competitions.

All competitors must create a route to a control point and record their arrival. The most common way to record the arrival is by taking a photo against the control point or by punching the electronic control station on the control unit when the control unit is given by the competitor at the start. It should be noted that the team runs the whole route as a single team; it is not allowed to send one person to one control point and the other participant to another one in order to save time.

If a team fails to return to the finish line before the control time expires.

Equipment and ammunition

It is allowed to use special tools while covering the distance. Which tools can be used during the race?

• A terrain map. If you can read a map, you won’t get lost. A map gives a complete picture of the surrounding landscape, elevation differences, and natural obstacles.
• A compass. This tool helps to get from point A to point B. At the same time it takes away the fear of getting lost. All compasses are light and compact, and are easy to fit on your wrist or thumb.
• A flashlight. It is better to opt for a headlamp, so as not to occupy a hand. You cannot do without it at night competitions.
• A phone. It is needed in case of emergency to contact the organizers, it is forbidden to use GPS. You can contact the organizers to inform them about quitting the course, ask for help, etc.
• A whistle. This tool is needed at long distances to identify yourself to other team members, if you accidentally run away and lose sight of each other, and to scare away wild animals.
• As for the clothes, the choice on the time of the year and the area where the competition takes place.

In the city your usual running clothes and shoes will do. In summer, they are T-shirts and bras, shorts or cropped leggings and the most comfortable sneakers. In winter, it is better to wear thermal underwear, a fleece jacket, tights.

Maps

A sports map is a type of topographic map for orienteering. On the map, the route is marked. The first orienteering maps were published in 1952.

The map for orienteering in a given direction is marked with four symbols:

• A triangle stands for the start.
• Double circles stand for the finish line.
• Single circles with digits stand for control points and the serial number of each of them.
• The line stands for the route.

On the map for optional orienteering, there are the same designations. However, a line does not connect the control points. Thus, the competitor constructs his route himself, finding the control points in any order.

Only the triangle (start) is marked on the orienteering map for the marked route. The participants of the competition put the control points on the map themselves with the help of a needle, a pin or a special composter. The permissible diameter of the puncture is 1 mm.

Thus, sports orienteering is a discipline that combines running with being able to read the maps. This sport is available to many people as there are many routes of various difficulty and length.