history and facts about orienteering

how it started

Orienteering first began in the forests of Scandinavia as a part of army training. The term 'orienteering' or 'orientation' was a military term meaning crossing unknown territory with the aid of a compass and map as early as 1886, and by 1895 orienteering competitions were being held between different military units in  the Sweden and Norway.

Strong links are still maintained between the military and orienteering clubs  in many parts of the world. Hitler banned the sport in occupied Norway because orienteers with detailed terrain knowledge were of great help to resistance groups.

The 1st public orienteering competition was held by the Tjalve Sports Club near Oslo in Norway on October 31st 1897. The course of 19.5km with 3 control points in wilderness terrain was won in one hour, forty seven minutes and seven seconds. A similar competition organised in 1901 near Stockholm in Sweden by the Sundbyberg Club had 6 entries for a fourteen km course with 4 control points, and the winner took one hour, thirty five minutes and thirty four seconds.

Contemporary orienteering racing did not begin until 1918. Major Ernst Killander, President of the Stockholm Amateur Athletic Association, was concerned at the declining interest of children in track and field athletics and decided to use the natural environment of Sweden for a new type of running activity. He developed a cross-country competition where runners not only ran a course but had to choose their own routes using a compass and map. Orienteering on the Killander model demanded stamina, running ability, strength,  mental agility and the application of navigational skills in difficult terrain. The race proved a big success from the start and the 1st event received a lot of publicity. Two hundred and twenty runners competed over a twelve km course with 3 control points, with the winner taking 1.25.39. Killander devised a set of basic principles/rules of competitive orienteering, including rules, choice of control sites, types of courses, age groups and organization. He is rightly recognized as the "Father of Orienteering."