Javier Perez Oramas is from
Colombia. Passionate about Orienteering, he's a keen contributor to
the revitalization of the sport in his country. But the task ahead is
anything but easy, as we can see in another great Interview in the
Portuguese Orienteering Blog.
I would start by asking who is
Javier Perez Oramas?
Javier Oramas (J. O.) - I was
born in 1981, in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, and currently live in
Barcelona (temporarily because I am getting a master's degree in Big
Data). I am passionate about the Biomechanics of sport and my
professional formation is in Sports' Sciences.
How were you introduced to
orienteering and what makes it such a special sport?
J. O. - I was introduced to
Orienteering in the University, as part of a discipline's content,
and since then (2006) I've been very interested in it. The most
interesting part is the requirement of developing strategies during
the course, which make it very fun and also encourages the
competitiveness from start to finish because, since you don't know if
you are leading, it forces you to push it to the limit.
Would you like to tell us about your
career so far?
J. O. - I have practised a wide
range of sports, but mostly BMX and Artistic Gymnastics. In
2006 I took part in my first Orienteering race and in an Adventure
Race (with maps in black and white), which motivated me to follow the
Outdoor sports' line. However, the only offer I found in my country
was Adventure Racing (I participated in everything I could) and it was
only in 2012 that I ran my first orienteering race under the IOF
regulations. Although the Colombian Federation must have had about 10 years at
that time, we had very few events and athletes, and it was very
difficult to keep a competitive orienteering calendar. So, I started
with Trail Running to do my physical preparation while waiting
for the next National event. In 2015, thanks to the support of the
IOF, which provided two spots to Colombia, I had the opportunity to
attend the IOF Clinic and the WOC in Scotland, as a representative of
my country.
Is there any truly remarkable
situation that you would like to highlight along ten years of
Orienteering?
J. O. - The WOC 2015 is,
undoubtedly, the moment when my sports and professional career took a new direction. Being my first Orienteering experience outside
Colombia, everything was new, but what made it more valuable and
enriching was that, before the Championships, we had - and I mean in
the plural because we were people from several countries there – an
Orienteering Clinic in which they strengthened us as athletes and
gave us tools to contribute to the development of this sport in our
countries. In addition to this, we were exceptionally accompanied by the IOF throughout the WOC and the 6 Days of Scotland, which made
it possible to successfully meet the participation targets.
It was a great pleasure to have you
among the participants in the Trail Orienteering Seminar promoted,
last December, by the University of Valencia, Spain. Why Trail
Orienteering?
J. O. - In addition to being a
very interesting discipline for FootO competitors, the Colombian
Federation shows a great interest in its development because of its
characteristics of inclusiveness.
What memories do you keep from the
Seminar?
J. O. - The structure and the
topics covered seemed very well addressed, in my opinion, and I now feel able to organize a small TrailO event. I intend to pass this knowledge on to the Federation of my country, which is really interested in
organizing some TrailO events in Colombia.
In 2013, Colombia hosted The World
Games, gathering some of the best orienteers in the world. This would
suggest Orienteering could reap the benefits of such important event
but, unfortunately, it seems that things had the opposite effect and
Colombia is among the countries that have just been suspended from
members of the IOF. I would ask you for a comment.
J. O. - It's very discouraging
as an athlete to learn that your country has been suspended, making you reevaluate the international goals. I was surprised by the
suspension and tried to get a reaction from the Colombian
Federation. They feel that “IOF doesn't provide enough support".
I think that IOF didn't evaluate the situation correctly, as The
World Games could represent an impulse for this sport in Colombia. The Colombian Federation has had administrative ups and downs and, for
that year, was emerging again, with very few athletes. The event
didn't have a significant impact on Orienteering's development
because of the lack of experience and resources, so I think that, if the
IOF really wants the Federations of emerging countries to
consolidate, they must adapt their cooperation policies and
strategies to the socio-economic and technological realities. And I say it because we are not the only ones with
difficulties to make this sport sustainable in the region.
Could you tell us how difficult, or easy, it can be to
combine your passion for Orienteering with living in
Colombia?
J. O. - No one can expect
it to be easy. There are lots of things to do, but there's also a great
opportunity of work here. That's why I decided to come to Europe with
the aim of preparing myself personally and professionally in
Orienteering, and I shall carry all my knowledge to my country.
How can you help Colombia return
to Orienteering's map?
J. O. - The scene is somewhat
complex to analyze because we have two situations to deal with: a
reality of sports development and another purely administrative. In
the sporting context, we find that the country's international
sporting goals are still unclear, and although the IOF had extended
its support in the previous years, I think that an additional support
plan towards the WOC is necessary, because the participation in such an event represents a huge sport and administrative effort for
small federations, which threatens the continuity of their
participation (as it's clear now). On the other hand, the internal
situation of the Colombian Federation, with an administration
weakened and far from the international framework, requires the
dialogue to be resumed. In my opinion, the initiative has to start from
the IOF, getting our leaders to react to the call of the
International community. Although there are athletes and people in Colombia who are interested in developing the sport, it has not been possible
to articulate with the National Federation; and if we add the recent
suspension of the IOF, the will will increasingly be less, making it
a lot more difficult to return to the international scene.
Would you like to share your goals
for 2017 with us?
J. O. - I have planned to
prepare this season in Europe, aiming to participate in one World
Cup, at least, and if possible, although the panorama has changed, go
to the WOC in Estonia.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
J. O. - Developing this sport,
in any country, has special conditions that makes the whole process
more complex and, therefore, requires a more solid
assistance and monitoring model from the IOF than the current one.
Joaquim Margarido
