Two or three things I know about it...

1. Brian Porteous is about to leave the IOF's Presidency. In accordance with the IOF Statutes, member federations having members on the current Council need to declare whether they will seek re-election 6 months prior to the General Assembly. Ahead of the IOF Congress and XXVIII Ordinary General Assembly on 26 August, 2016, in Strömstad, Sweden, the current IOF Council members have now formally announced who will be seeking re-election. Are in this case the current Senior Vice President Leho Haldna (Estonia), the two current Vice Presidents Michael Dowling (Australia) and Astrid Waaler Kaas (Norway), and Ting-wang ‘Dominic’ Yue (Hong-Kong), Laszlo Zentai (Hungary), Maria Silvia Viti (Italy), Owe Fredholm (Sweden), Niklaus Suter (Switzerland), Tatiana Kalenderoglu (Turkey) and Mikko Salonen (Finland). The most remarkable announcement is that IOF President Brian Porteous will not be seeking re-election, so the IOF General Assembly will elect a new President in August. Member federations have now the opportunity to nominate additional candidates for the IOF Council. Nominations need to reach the IOF Secretary General at least 4 months prior to the General Assembly, i.e. by April 26th at the latest. Everything to check at http://orienteering.org/iof-president-brian-porteous-to-step-down-after-the-general-assembly-in-august/.

2. The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) are in the planning process of developing the IOF LiveCenter from only offering GPS tracking and livestream into a fan page where new and current fans of orienteering can follow the sport 365 days a year. “This is a first concept test of this new Channel, a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) with the minimal first features that will give you as a user a feel for the new product”, can be read in the new fan page for orienteering, at http://andmark.no/projects/2016/IOF/#/. The initiative's promoters are now testing this very early version to learn how the users experience the features presented and what should be prioritize in the further development. So, an invitation: “Help us develop this page. For us to learn, we hope, you will take the time to fill in the questionnaire. This will help us in the development of the channel so it will give you and hopefully many others a larger interest in following orienteering more closely in the future.”

3. The Swedish Annika Björk (OK Linné) and William Lind (Malungs OK Skogsmardarna) won the Antalya O’ Days 2016, last weekend in Antalya region, Turkey. Four days and three events scoring for the World Ranking were the organizers' offer, in beautiful terrains near the sea. The winners of Middle Distance WRE, on second day, were William Lind and Kirsi Nurmi (IFK Göteborg). Miika Suominen (Rajamaen Rykmentti) and Emma Silvennoinen (Paimion Rasti) took the first place on the Long Distance WRE stage, on third day. In the last day of competition, Riccardo Scalet (5 Days of Italy 2016) and Liga Valdmane (Rehns BK) reached the top positions. Overall, Daniel Hajek (Malungs OK Skogsmardarna) and Kristin Olovsson (Rehns BK) took the second position, while Jesper Lysell (Rehns BK) and Emine Sezgünsay (Istambul Orienteering SK-IOG) were third. The event registered the participation of 1335 athletes, 140 of whom in the Men/Women Elite classes. For further information and complete results, please consult the event's webpage at http://www.orienteering.org.tr/.

4. With the approach of Spring, come to an end the most important orienteering events in the Iberian Peninsula or, at least, those who attract more athletes from around the world. Caños de Meca, Barbate, hosted one of the greatest events on the list, spreading the attention for three stages, the last one in... Morocco. That's true, the AOM's 7th edition got “back to basics”, which means, “going back to our roots, offering original & quality events on the technical side, without too much fanciness around”, in the organizers' words. A festive Night Relay Mass Start opened the program, with Gaute Friestad and Jan Sedivy (Kristiansand OK) winning the Men Long difficult class and Venla Harju and Lotta Karhola (Team Finland) being the fastest in the Women Long difficult class. Elli Virta and Topi Penttinen (Trian) won the Mixed Long difficult class, with Nadiya Volynska and Oleksandr Kratov (Koovee – Orion) on the second place. More than 300 athletes participated in the Middle Distance race on second day, with Matthias Kyburz (Switzerland) and Emma Johansson (Domnarvets GoIF) taking the first place in the Elite classes. Finally, the Middle Distance – King of MoroccO, called to the other side of the strait of Gibraltar almost 150 athletes. The winners in the Elite classes were Veli Kangas (Team Finland) and Nina Temyakova (Paimion Rasti). Everything to know at http://andaluciaomeeting.com/.

[Photo: Erik Borg]

Joaquim Margarido

AOM 2015: McLeod and Mironova, the big winners

With the dispute of the Long Distance course at Playas del Portil, this morning, the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015 is over. The absence of Daniel Hubmann allowed to open the range of candidates to the victory in the Men Elite class, with Scott Fraser winning the Long Distance stage and Alasdair McLeod to call him the victory in this edition of AOM. In the Women Elite, Svetlana Mironova showed why she was the big favourite, winning everything there was to win.

It was under a bright sun and blue sky, in a great atmosphere, that came to the end in Punta Umbría, the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015. Organized by Sun-O, city of Punta Umbría, Spanish Orienteering Federation and International Orienteering Federation, the event scored for the Spanish Foot Orienteering League 2015, offered two stages counting for the World Rankings and had the participation of eight hundred and fifty athletes, overall.

After an intense and exciting day, with two stages scoring to the World Rankings, the Long Distance course that closed the AOM 2015's competitive program promised great fight in the Men Elite class. The Swiss Daniel Hubmann announced his abandonment from the Meeting after the Middle Distance WRE yesterday and the struggle for the final victory was more fierce than ever. With the great pretenders showed to each other at the same level, it was no surprise that we could see a very hard fight, with just twelve seconds separating the top four athletes in the stage. The British Scott Fraser (TuMe) was the winner, with 1:07:00 for the 15.0 km and 37 controls of his course. The Latvian Edgars Bertuks (TuMe), with more 5 seconds, and the British Alasdsair McLeod, with more 9 seconds, closed the podium by this order. Overall, McLeod turned out to be the great beneficiary, concluding with a total time of 1:41:32 for the set of two stages (Middle Distance + Long Distance) and taking the victory in the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015 overall. Edgars Bertuks and Scott Fraser, with more 0:19 and 1:27, respectively, than the winner, concluded in the immediate positions. Sixth placed in the stage with a time of 1:09:30, the Portuguese Tiago Martins Aires (GafanhOri) would complete his presence in the AOM 2015 with an extraordinary 5th place, with more 7:10 than the winner.

In the Women Elite class, the Russian Svetlana Mironova (KooVee) was once again unstoppable, winning with a time of 58:56 for 10.9 km and 27 controls of her course. The Finnish Marttiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantähti) and Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri), with more 1:36 and 1:38, respectively, concluded by this order in the immediate positions. Overall, Mironova was the winner with a total time of 1:33:49, against 1:35:40 of Saarimäki and 1:36:01 of Joensuu. The Portuguese Raquel Costa (GafanhOri), 9th ranked in the Middle Distance stage, was disqualified due to “mp”. One last word to the Portuguese Manuel Dias (Lisbon OK), who joined to the first place of yesterday's stage, a second place in the Long Distance held today, winning the M60 class.

Final Results

Men Elite

1. Alasdair McLeod (Clydeside Orienteers) 1:41:32

2. Edgars Bertuks (TuMe) 1:41:51 (+ 00:19)

3. Scott Fraser (TuMe) 1:42:59 (+ 01:27)

4. Douglas Tullie (TuMe) 1:45:17 (+ 03:45)

5. Tiago Aires (GafanhOri) 1:48:42 (+ 07:10)

6. Tomas Dlabaja (Rajamäen Rykmentti) 1:48:50 (+ 07:18)

7. Pavel Shestakov (KooVee) 1:49:45 (+ 08:13)

8. Murray Strain (Interlopers) 1:49:48 (+ 08:16)

9. Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C) 1:51:11 (+ 09:39)

10. Miguel Reis e Silva (TuMe) 1:51:42 (+ 10:10)

Women Elite

1. Svetlana Mironova (KooVee) 1:33:49

2. Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri) 1:35:40 (+ 01:51)

3. Marttiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantähti) 1:36:01 (+ 02:12)

4. Marte Narum (Nydalens SK) 1:40:14 (+ 06:25)

5. Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) 1:41:00 (+ 07:11)

6. Léa Vercellotti (Maximus Madrid) 1:45:20 (+ 11:31)

7. Ruth Holmes (Southern Navigators) 1:48:35 (+ 14:46)

8. Violeta Feliciano Sanjuan (Colivenc) 1:50:27 (+ 16:38)

9. Sarah Rollins (Southern Navigators) 1:51:04 (+ 17:15)

10. Anette Juveli (Konnerud IL) 1:51:14 (+ 17:25)

Full results and further information at http://andaluciaomeeting.com/.

[Foto: Andalucia O Meeting / facebook.com/AndaluciaOMeeting]

Joaquim Margarido

AOM 2015: Hubmann and Mironova win Middle, Michiels and Mironova the best in Sprint

Daniel Hubmann and Svetlana Mironova were the big winners of the Middle Distance WRE stage, the most important of this edition of Andalucia O' Meeting, held this morning. In the afternoon, in a Sprint also counting for the World Ranking, Mironova repeated the triumph in the Women Elite, while Yannick Michiels was the winner in Men Elite.

After a particularly participated Prologue that had in the Norwegian Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) and the British Murray Strain (Interlopers) the winners in the Elite classes, the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015's most expected moment arrived this morning, with the dispute of the Middle Distance WRE stage. With 6.8 km and 25 controls in the Men Elite class and 5.4 km and 21 controls in the Women Elite class, the stage was run on the map of Cartaya forest, at Punta Umbría's surroundings, having the participation of 779 athletes in the competition classes, to whom we must add close to a hundred athletes in the Open classes.

Considered as the big favourites, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann (Kristiansand OK) and the Russian Svetlana Mironova (KooVee) were the big winners. Hubmann fulfilled his course in 32:44, having dominated the race completely from the 8th control to the finish. The Latvian Edgars Bertuks (TuMe) still came to lead the race, but an error of more than one minute to the 8th control turned out to be fatal to his aspirations. Bertuks would finish third, 2:02 after Hubmann, while the second position would be to the British Alasdair McLeod (Clydeside Orienteers), with a time of 34:23. Another highlight is the excellent result of the Portuguese Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C), 8th placed with the time of 36:59. In the Women Elite class, Svetlana Mironova did a race not absent of mistakes – she lost two minutes in the two long legs -, winning with a time of 34:53, ahead of the Finnish Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri), by the margin of 13 seconds. Marttiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantähti), with a time of 35:29, finished third, while the best Portuguese athlete in this class, Raquel Costa (GafanhOri), achieved a very creditable 9th place with a time of 38:18. A word to the Portuguese Manuel Dias (Lisbon OK), winner of the H60 class and to the 3rd place of Roy Dawson (GafanhOri) in the H65 class.

Held in the urban center of Punta Umbría, the Sprint stage took over the competitive program in the afternoon, having in the Belgian Yannick Michiels (TuMe) the big winner in the Men Elite class with 14 minutes to 3.5 km and 20 controls. The British Scott Fraser (TuMe) and Alasdair McLeod finished by this order in the immediate positions, with more 8 and 20 seconds, respectively, than the winner. Tiago Gingão Leal repeated the 8th place of the morning stage, having spent over 1:10 than the winner and quoting again as the best Portuguese. In the Women Elite class, Svetlana Mironova didn't give the chance to the concurrence again, fulfilling her course of 2.9 km and 15 controls in 13:51, against 13:55 of the British Ruth Holmes (Southern Navigators), second placed. The third position was occupied by the Norwegian Marte Narum, with 20 seconds more than the winner. Raquel Costa was again the best Portuguese athlete, concluding in the 11th place with a time of 15:15. The Sprint stage counted with the participation of 527 athletes, 500 in the competition classes and the rest in the Open class.

Full results and further information at http://andaluciaomeeting.com/.

[Photo: Andalucia O Meeting / facebook.com/AndaluciaOMeeting]

Joaquim Margarido

AOM 2015: Ready!

Tomorrow, by 3:40 p.m. in Spain, will start the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015, one of the most prestigious events of the winter season in Spain. Within a strong cartel - which includes, among others, Daniel Hubmann, second placed in the IOF's World Ranking -, Portugal is represented by 23 athletes, including some of the great values of our national orienteering.

For the second time in a row, the coastal town of Punta Umbría welcomes the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015, an event that is already an Orienteering reference in Spain and all over the world in the beginning of each season. Second event scoring for the Spanish Foot Orienteering League 2015, the AOM 2015 is organized by the Sun-O and the Ayuntamiento of Punta Umbría, with the support of the Tourism Provincial Patronate, the Consistorio and the Junta de Andalucía.

With 890 entries from 24 countries (numbers to whom must be added the participants in the open classes) the AOM 2015  starts tomorrow afternoon with the Prologue, in a fun format - “mass start”, two formal legs and two 'score' legs, alternately -, followed by three stages during the weekend. On Saturday will take place the stages of Middle Distance (in the morning) and Sprint (from 4.30 p.m. local time), both scoring for the respective IOF's World Rankings. The AOM 2015 ends on Sunday with the Long Distance stage. The Middle Distance WRE's course setter is Cristian Bellotto, the same of the WOC's Middle Distance that was awarded with the “Course of the Year 2014” prize, sponsored by World of O.

The Portuguese are present

Among the favourites, the highlights goes to the IOF's World Ranking nº 2, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann, reaching Punta Umbria with his 16 medals in World Championships (three silver medals in 2014) and 10 in European Championships (two golds at the European in Palmela). The major opponents of the Swiss will be the Latvian Edgars Bertuks, the Belgian Yannick Michiels, the British Scott Fraser and the young Russian Gleb Tikhonov. True helmsman of the “Spanish Army”, Andreu Blanes will be the big star of this great “casting”. Currently Long Distance World Champion and European Vice-Champion, Svetlana Mironova is the biggest name in the female sector, having the Norwegian Marianne Andersen and Siri Ulvestad as her biggest opponents.

In Punta Umbria will be, also, a little more than two dozen Portuguese athletes, namely Tiago Martins Aires and Raquel Costa, both from GafanhOri and Tiago Gingão Leal and Carolina Delgado, from the GD4C. Miguel Reis e Silva will be another Portuguese athlete at the AOM 2015 here representing his Finnish club of Turun Metsänkävijät.

For more detailed information, please see the event page at http://andaluciaomeeting.com/.

[Photo: Ayuntamiento de Punta Umbria / puntaumbria.es]

Joaquim Margarido

Andalucia O' Meeting 2014: The promise of an unforgettable event

Three days of competition, two WRE's stages and a high quality event of the Spanish Foot-O Calendar with great international imnpact. We speak, of course, about the Andalucia O' Meeting, whose 5th edition will take place between 14th and 16th february in Pinares de Punta Umbría, very close to the Portuguese border.

Punta Umbría , in southern Spain, receives from 14th to 16th february one of the greatest events of the Spanish calendar. Important event of the international Foot-O calendar in winter and scoring for the Spanish League, the Andalucia O 'Meeting AOM 2014 has to offer a set of maps never sailed before, challenges of high level and the big organizational experience of Sun-O Team, with the support of the Municipality of Punta Umbría. In short, a great orienteering weekend in perspective, focusing on technical quality and logistical capability.

Along Pedro Pasión, AOM 2014's Event Director, we try to focus on the proposals of the organization and, at the same time, make the story of the event. “The AOM born from the idea of associating the organization of an International Training Camp with a quality event in the same area, ensuring standards of modernity”, were his first words. Good course setters, quality maps and a careful selection of the competition terrains, “always with the sea in the background”, are the ingredients of this Andalucia O' Meeting's fifth edition, in which the organization focus on the reinforcement of the participation rates which, in 2013, amounted to 1000 athletes, half of them foreigners.

Extensive media coverage

After the first four editions held in Cadiz, the organization decided to move this year to Punta Umbria, in the Province of Huelva. To expand the Training Camps offer and respond to the requests from many participants who asked for a change, such were the reasons that led to this “back to back” to Cadiz. The best option was Huelva, since, as explains Pedro Pasión, “it is, along with Cadiz, the Spanish province with the largest intact forest of the entire southern coastal region of Spain” And Punta Umbria, in particular, because “it is a municipality that invests heavily in sport, providing all the experience and resources to serve the AOM 2014, the same as that applied in the organization of the World Cross Country Championships in 2011”, adds those responsible.

The expectations concerning this AOM 2014 are high. Not only because the competition days, but also for the Training Camps, before and after the event, with courses designed by Thierry Gueorgiou and in which the Finnish national team, with all of its biggest stars, is a confirmed presence. But the focus on promoting the event goes further, with Pedro Pasión promising for the 2014 edition a strong media coverage, “with tractrac system, giant screen at the finish line, cameras in the forest and live streaming of the event via internet”, a situation that raises the AOM 2014 to the condition of “single event on Spanish territory having, until now, such means of transmission”, he avers. Another aspect that the Event Director is keen to note is related to the presence “in FITUR, the World Tourism Fair, which will take place in Madrid later this month and in which the AOM will represent the sport community of Andalucia in its exhibition pavilion.”

Northern Morocco , “a treasure to discover”

The conversation moves to the end but there is still time to highlight another event that extends the offer in terms of orienteering and, by the way, also touristic. This is the MoroccO 3 Days, an event offering two forest courses and an urban Sprint in the Chaouen Medina, and still provide to the participants a visit to the cities of Ceuta, Tetuan and Cheffchaouen. Everything organized from Algeciras, on 21st february, with the return scheduled for the 23rd february. Classifying the North of Morocco as “a treasure to discover”, Pasión is keen to say that "it is a region green and hilly, as Portugal and Spain, with a huge cultural influence of these two countries, one rich cuisine and incredible natural beauties.” And there's no need to say much more in order to understand the implicit invitation to an unforgettable experience, able to transform this “O' Adventure” into a very special occasion.

All to see at http://aom2014.com/ or in the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/521189287947917/.

Joaquim Margarido