Two or three things I know about it...

1. Preparing the MTBO World Cup 2017 and the World MTBO Championships 2018, the Austrian Orienteering Federation organized last weekend, the MTBO Austria Cup. With the Austrian Championships of Middle Distance taking place on Saturday and MTBO Austria Cup Long Distance closing the event, both competitions scored for the IOF MTBO World Ranking and had been attended by 300 competitors from seven different nations. Important tests for those who will be present next month in Portugal, in the World MTBO Championships, the event had in the Austrian Marina Reiner (Naturfreunde Villach – Oriente) its brightest star. On the first day she got a close win of 9 seconds on the Lithuanian Karolina Mickeviciute (OK Fortuna) and on the second she was 1:12 faster than the Slovakian Stanislava Fajtova (VBA ŠK VAZKA Bratislava). Reiner got her first title in Middle Distance, overthrowing the legendary Michaela Gigon, now second in the national competition. The Men Elite class saw the six times individual World Champion Ruslan Gritsan (Shimano Bergamont), Russia, winning the first day's competition, 37 seconds ahead of the Austrian Tobias Breitschädel (ASKÖ Henndorf). On the last day, Andreas Waldmann (OLT Transdanubien), Austria, got a comfortable 1:40 winning on the Czech Vojtech Stransky. Results, maps, photos and much more to know at http://www.wmtboc2018.at/wre2016/.

2. Well known for its carpets, beautiful white houses and tasteful wine, Arraiolos hosted the Portuguese Orienteering Championships of Middle Distance and Relay 2016. Organized by GafanhOri, Gafanhoeira Orienteering Club – Arraiolos, the event took place last weekend, attracting 430 competitors. João Mega Figueredo (CN Alvito) and Mariana Moreira (CPOC) got the Middle Distance titles in the Elite class, followed respectively by Tiago Gingão Leal and Liliana Oliveira, both from GD4C. Rafael Miguel (OriEstarreja) and Patrícia Casalinho (COC) closed the podium. 114 teams took part in the Relay, with GD4C (Tiago Gingão Leal, Filipe Farinha and Alfredo Gualdino) and CPOC (Vera Alvarez, Beatriz Moreira and Mariana Moreira) taking the gold in the Men Elite class and Women Elite class, respectively. ADFA and CN Alvito followed the GD4C in the Men class, while COC and GC4C were second and third, respectively, in the Women class. Complete results and further information at http://gafanhori.wix.com/cndme2016.

3. The Italian Luca Dallavalle is, since last 13th June, the new leader of the IOF MTBO World Ranking. World Champion in Sprint - title achieved in August 2015 in Liberec, Czech Republic -, Dallavalle replaces in the first position the Russian Anton Foliforov, after a long reign of 759 consecutive days. The changes in the Men ranking are punctual, with the French Baptiste Fuchs and Cédric Beill to register the most significant falls. The Portuguese Davide Machado moved up one position and occupies now the 19th place. In the women's ranking, the Czech Martina Tichovská and the British Emily Benham continue to occupy by this order the two first positions. Here too, the changes are minor, with the Swedish Cecilia Thomasson, who decided not to compete this season, recording the biggest loss. The Spanish Monica Aguilera keeps the upward trend and, after a four-position profit, occupies now the 36th place. The complete rankings can be consulted at http://ranking.orienteering.org/Ranking.

4. To improve the IT quality at Championships and World Cup events, the IOF Council has decided on the immediate implementation of a new set of recommendations. “The aim is to secure high quality events. With today’s online possibilities, IT is the most important component for increasing and improving the visibility of orienteering. It has unfortunately also proven to be the most complex and sensitive part of event organisation”, says IOF CEO Tom Hollowell. The new recommendations have three main parts; IT Quality Requirements documents, which the IT Commission has been developing, will be finalised and included in the contracts between the IOF and event organisers, an IT Senior Event Advisor role will be instituted for all major events, and the IOF office will accredit and contract with service providers for timekeeping, punching and GPS systems. The background to these recommendations is trouble with punching and timekeeping systems at events during the last few years. The recommendations are based on an analysis of the overall scope of IT requirements, carried out by the IT commission at the request of the IOF Council, following the cancelled World Cup event in Sweden last summer. “The recommendations are aimed at facilitating the work of event organisers regarding the wide range of IT systems at an IOF major event, and will hopefully reduce the number of IT related errors organisers have had to deal with”, says Tom Hollowell.

[Photo: Paul Grün / picasaweb.google.com]

Joaquim Margarido

MTBO: Ups and downs in the IOF World Rankings

The World MTB Orienteering Championships 2015 are over and it’s time now to look at the IOF World Rankings, trying to understand its ups and downs. Sensational performer at Liberec, Martina Tichovska jumped to the first place in the women's ranking. In the men's ranking, Anton Foliforov reinforced the leadership, position that he retains since the distant 16th May 2014.

Liberec, in the Czech Republic, hosted the 13th edition of the World MTB Orienteering Championships WMTBOC 2015. In the aftermath of a week full of emotions, with a couple of nice surprises, we can now look to the International Orienteering Federation World Rankings duly updated and realize the consequences of the results achieved by the athletes in the most important competition of the international MTB Orienteering calendar.

Starting with the male sector, the Russian Anton Foliforov strengthened his leading position on the ranking, after the gold medals achieved in Middle Distance and Long Distance. Immediately behind him, is the Italian Luca Dallavalle, World Champion of Sprint and Vice World Champion of Middle Distance, which achieved a fantastic rise of seven positions. Rising one place, the Finnish Jussi Laurila, vice-world champion of Long Distance, now ranks fourth. Other significant increases were enthralled by the Czech Marek Pospisek, rising nine places and being the current fifth placed, by the Austrian Kevin Haselsberger, coming from the 16th position to the 9th place and by the Czech Frantisek Bogar which rose sixteen (!) positions and is now the 19th ranked. Also in the top 20, the Finnish Samuli Saarela went up six positions, being now ranked 13th, while the Czech Vojtech Stransky is currently the 14th placed, after rising three positions.

On the side of the falls, is significant the position lost by the Czech Jiri Hradil that is now the 3rd placed. The Russian Ruslan Gritsan colapsed from 4th to the 8th place while the French Baptiste Fuchs fell to the 6th place, when prior to the Championships occupied a brilliant 3rd place. Another important fall was starred by the Norwegian Hans Jorgen Kvale, loosing three positions and being now the 10th placed. The French Yoann Garde also fell significantly in the table, occupying currently the 17th place while he was 11th before, as the Lithuanian Jonas Maiselis, losing six places to settle in the 18th position. From the Portuguese side, Davide Machado lost one place and is now the 30th ranked, while Daniel Marques kept the 50th position. João Ferreira is in the 56th position, and came down four steps, while Carlos Simões ascended three places and is now ranked 63rd. Portugal has another two athletes in the top 100, both suffering losses in the table. Mário Guterres is the 71st ranked when previously occupied the 64th position and Luis Barreiro, ranked 87th, lost five positions.

Tichovska jump to the leadership

In the women's sector, a major achievement was led by the Czech Martina Tichovska by leaving the 4th position in the ranking to take the lead. For this climb have decisively contributed the world titles of Sprint and Long Distance and also the silver medal in the Middle Distance. The Swedish Cecilia Thomasson and the French Gaëlle Barlet rose one place each and are now in the 4th and 5th positions, respectively, while the Danish Camilla Soegaard moved up three positions, occupying now the 6th place of the ranking. The Finnish Susanna Laurila, Long Distance’s vice-world champion, starred the most dazzling ascent, by climbing ten positions to settle in the 9th place. Other important increase was those of the Swiss Maja Rothweiler, from 17th to the 12th position.

Looking to the falls, the former leader of the ranking, the British Emily Benham, is now ranked 2nd as the Russian Svetlana Poverina also down one place in the table and is now ranked 3rd. The Finnish Marika Hara went down sharply four places, occupying now the 7th position. Another of the big losers was the Russian Tatiana Repina, sinking three positions and being now the 13th in the ranking. The French Hana Garde lost two places and now occupies the 10th position, the Danish Nina Hoffmann came from the 15th to the 18th position and the Finnish Antonia Haga is now ranked 15th after losing four places in the table. The Czech Marie Brezinova now occupies the 15th place after falling one position, as many as the Austrian Michaela Gigon, which is the current 17th ranked. The three Portuguese athletes present in Liberec had gains on the table, except for Susana Pontes who kept her 45th position. Ana Filipa Silva won one place, occupying now the 64th position in the ranking, while Tânia Covas Costa recovered nine places, being now the 73rd ranked.

See the full rankings at http://ranking.orienteering.org/.

Joaquim Margarido