IOF Council has decided to extend the period of no WREs, from May 31, to July 31, 2020.

The main reason for this decision is to make sure that the World Ranking System is applied fairly. As World Rankings are in some cases used for determination of qualification and starting positions at our major events, it is important that the fairness of the system is upheld globally. 2 aspects of this decision:

• There are still significant restrictions on movement and travel which means that athletes do not have equal opportunities to participate in events across international borders.
• Although it may be possible to organise WREs in some countries, it is far from possible in the majority of countries. It is unfair if athletes in those countries where it is possible to participate in WREs could gain WR points and improve their World Ranking, while others may not.

IOF Council has determined, by looking at the length of current restrictions in place across member countries, that this decision should be valid until July 31. This will be reviewed again approximately July 1 to see if a further extension is required.

For clarification you can still arrange the event, IOF will, of course, not interfere whether local organizers carry out the arrangements themselves, as long as you meet the requirements imposed on you by your local / national authorities. But the competition will not have WRE status.

The WREs for this period will be cancelled in IOF Eventor.

The postponement of the North America Orienteering Championship 2020 means that the associated IOF FootO Event Advisers Clinic, which was scheduled for the 28 July, will also not happen this year.

The clinic might be organised next year, in conjunction with NAOC 2021, but no confirmation on this can be made before dates for NAOC are decided. More information will come.

JWOC 2020 in Turkey has officially been postponed. No new date has yet been set.

OUSA will be going ahead with our JWOC team selection based on petitions submitted by TODAY, Fri. Apr. 10.  Team USA will be able to train to be ready when the new date of JWOC is announced.

The California Orienteering Festival organizers, after much deliberation, have decided to postpone the festival, including the North American Championships (NAOC) and World Rogaining Championships (WRC), until the summer of 2021.  The global health emergency, with its travel and assembly restrictions, means that we cannot hold regional or international championships while protecting the health and safety of our competitors.

The 2021 festival program and event locations will remain the same.  We are trying to schedule the event at a similar time frame; we expect the new dates to be confirmed within weeks.  Once the dates are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and the International Rogaining Federation (IRF) and after we have confirmed with landowners, sponsors, and other stakeholders, we will announce the new dates.

Current registrations are automatically transferred to 2021; you do not have to do anything, your fees will not increase, and you are guaranteed entry!  We encourage you to leave your registration in place;  however, for those interested in a refund, please visit our updated website registration page for details, or contact the registrar. 

We wish you all the best in these difficult times; stay healthy and fit, and we look forward to seeing you in beautiful California for an exciting summer in 2021!  

Sincerely,

The Steering Committee of the California Orienteering Festival

The International World Games Association (IWGA) and Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) have agreed to postpone the 11th edition of The World Games until 7th to 17th July 2022. The Games had originally been planned to take place from 15–25 July next year.

The move is precipitated by the recent postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to July 2021 and this date range was the only period in 2022 that could handle organizer venue, accommodation and sponsor needs. It remains to be seen how this will impact the orienteering program as the new dates overlap the 2022 World Orienteering Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Read the Full Release

With the recent cancellation of the 2020 Junior Nationals the JWOC 2020 team selection will take place by submitting a Type I petition which shall be evaluated by the Selection Committee using the JWOC Team Selection Type I Petition reviewing rubric.  

The completed Type I petition should include as much of the requested information as possible, and be sent to ousajuniorprogram@nullorienteeringusa.org by Friday, April 10, 2020.  Please see the attached updated announcement.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BcxjerO8kJRfVlM-1UIiIz3Sq8F3AUiU