Finally! - The World Orienteering Championships are here
It might have been the longest warm-up for a major international championship in history. But now it's happening! The World Orienteering Championships start Sunday. Runners, officials, volunteers and organizers are ready for a week in Vejle, Fredericia and Kolding.
The local orienteering clubs, the Triangle Region Denmark and Sport Event Denmark are together with the association organizers of the World Cup. And finally, it’s time for kick-off. The World Orienteering Championships 2020 was initially proposed to be moved from 7-11 July to October 2020 due to the corona situation but ended up being postponed to 2022.
“We are very proud that we will once again have the opportunity to hold a world championship in orienteering on Danish soil. A huge effort has been put in by the clubs and it looks like it will be a fantastic event. The framework with the three cities in the Triangle Region, where especially the historic framework around Koldinghus and the inner city in Fredericia, will hopefully be a great experience for both runners and spectators - not least those who may not know much about orienteering. In addition to the elite races, it is of course also great to see many happy orienteering runners who use the opportunity to run audience races and visit Denmark. We are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone together with the local clubs, the Triangle Region and Sport Event Denmark, "says Poul Kristian Mouritsen, chairman of the Danish Orienteering Association.
In Kolding, they look forward to inviting runners and spectators into the winding alleys:
“With a history of over 750 years, historic Kolding will challenge the runners with complicated streets. With topped cobblestones and small passages, I look forward to both runners and the audience having a worthwhile race in Kolding. It will be exciting to experience the city centre as the home ground for a world championship ", says Knud Erik Langhoff, mayor of Kolding Municipality.
The fact that the World Cup takes place in city centres provides a very special experience for runners and the public. Fredericia, Kolding and Vejle have cooperated to create this special experience.
In Vejle, they join the choir of host cities, that are now ready to create the festive setting for the World Cup, which we have waited so long for:
“We are very much looking forward to creating a festive environment and showing our support for the athletes when the world championship finally comes to Vejle. And we are at least as excited as everyone else to see where the route takes the athletes in our beautiful city centre, ”says Jens Ejner Christensen, mayor of Vejle Municipality.
When federations, host cities and Sport Event Denmark are behind the organization of large, international championships, there is a party in the streets:
“It will be such a great time when the World Cup in orienteering comes to Vejle, Fredericia and Kolding. Personally, I look forward to finally being able to experience an orienteering race up close. Most often, o-races take place out in the woods, but an urban race like this can only be something very special, ”says Lars Lundov, director, Sport Event Denmark.
FACTS
World Orienteering Championships (WOC), is the International Orienteering Federation's sprint world championship, and will be held in 2022 in Fredericia, Vejle and Kolding by 5 clubs under the Danish Orienteering Federation (OK Snab Vejle, Kolding OK, OK FROS Fredericia, OK Melfar Middelfart and OK Gorm Jelling) with Sport Event Denmark and the Triangle Region as partners. In addition to the World Cup itself, there will be a number of audience races, which are open to anyone who might want to try orienteering.
Date: June 26-30, 2022
The expected number of participants at the World Cup is 236 runners from 37 national teams. For the audience races, there are also more than 230 registered foreign runners from all over the world, of all ages.