... highly athletic,

... mentally challenging,

... environmentally sound,

... and gender-neutral! 

Orienteering is the sport where athletes use map and compass to navigate their way through the terrain in order to find the control points which form the pre-set course. The map gives detailed information on the terrain such as hills, ground surface, obstacles etc. There is no marked route in the terrain - the athletes must choose their own route between the control points.

In orienteering, the clock is the judge. Fastest time wins. Electronic equipment verifies that the athlete has visited all control points in the right order. Orienteering is highly athletic. Orienteers run over rough ground, completely unprepared forest terrain or rough open hills - cross country in the true sense of the word. Therefore, considerable body strength and agility is needed.

Orienteering demands the advanced skill of being able to read a detailed map and choose the best route over complex terrain while moving at high speed. The course is designed to test both the orienteer's physical strength and their navigation skills. Orienteering is a sport that uses no fixed structures, the natural environment is the arena.

Orienteers are keenly interested in environmental protection. The sport is conducted to minimize or eliminate environmental impact at its events. In doing so, the sport has gained respect in conservation circles.

There is a wide variety of orienteering formats: individual competitions and relays, sprint races and mountain marathon events. The formats chosen for The World Games program are an individual middle distance competition for both men and women, and a mixed relay for teams of two men and two women.

In 1897, the first ever public orienteering competition was held in Norway. During its first century orienteering developed from an activity invented in a small corner of northern Europe to a modern, high-technology sport practised by more than one million people in countries all over the world on five continents. World Orienteering Championships have been organized since 1966. Teams from 40  countries participated in the 2004 World Orienteering Championships in Sweden. The program includes four competitions for both women and men; a sprint race, a middle distance event, a long distance competition and a relay event for teams of three.