Course of the Year 2023: Submit your suggestions!

What was the best orienteering course of 2023? Pomeranian Sprint Cup won in 2022, WOC Long distance won in 2021, the Norwegian World Champs selection race long distance won in 2019, the World Cup Final Middle in Czech Republic won in 2018 and the World Champs middle distance in Estonia won in 2017. Other winners are a spectacular sprint between boulders and old buildings in Portugal in 2013 and some great technical orienteering at Portugal O-Meeting in 2012. Who do you think should win in 2023?

The search for the orienteering course of the year  is always fun and interesting – with many nice courses and maps surfacing! The rules are simple: Suggest a course from a competition or training in 2023, and state the reason why you think this course deserves to be “The course of the Year 2023″. The best among all the suggestions will be chosen – and there will be a voting process among the readers of “World of O” in order to name “The course of the Year 2023″. We will also identify the best course in each category: Sprint, Middle and Long.

And please state the reason for your suggestion – that’s where the fun & the passion for orienteering comes in! YOU are the one to decide who takes the prestigious top spot this year- first by submitting suggestions – and then by voting.

Suggestions are submitted as a comment to this post – including link to the map (this is important – I am doubly happy if the link goes to omaps.worldofo.com) with course in a quality which is good enough for the readers to understand the course and the challenges involved. Please add information about location/date if that is not clear from the link provided. Also include which sponsor prize you are interested in (check them out!) if you win (please do check out the sponsor prizes and choose one, it is much nicer to win something you really want!).

PS! Suggestions for Route to Christmas are also welcome; a combined suggestion doubly so!

More than 5500 Euro worth of prizes for YOU

Prizes from sponsors make it more fun to be in on the suggestions and voting. This year we again have some great sponsors and prizes – with a total value of more than 5500 Euro! We hope this means many good suggestions & a lot of interactivity from YOU! See all details about the sponsors & prizes below! Use the comments below, and submit either

1. The course which in your opinion is the best course you run in 2023 yourself!
2. The best course you set this year as a course-setter.
3. The overall best course you have seen/heard about in 2023

Most course-setters surely have to make some compromises, so finding the perfect one is probably not possible. Still, it is interesting to see which is the best course you run or set in 2023!

Starting point

To provide you with a starting point, I’ve included some of the legs featured in Route to Christmas so far this year. Do any of these courses deserve a nomination for Orienteering Course of 2023?

Rules

The following rules are given for “The course of the Year 2023″.

• The course must have been run in competition or training in 2023 (an exception for courses in December 2021 as they were not covered in last year’s contest)
• Suggestions are submitted as a comment to this post – including link to the map (this is important!) with course in a quality which is good enough for the readers to understand the course and the challenges involved. Please add information about location/date if that is not clear from the link provided. Also include which sponsor prize you are interested in if you win (please do check out the sponsor prizes and choose one, it is much nicer to win something you really want!).
• You must give a reason for why you think this course deserves to be named “The course of the Year 2023″ (or why it is the best course you run/set this year). All reasons are valid. Examples can for example be “varied orienteering challenges”, “extremely technical orienteering”, “high fun-factor”, “fantastic map”, “spectacular orienteering”, “fantastic nature” – a combination of these – or a totally different reason. To get all the way to the top you should probably have a combination of reasons…
• The course may be any foot-orienteering discipline – e.g. a long distance, a middle distance, a sprint distance. It may also be a technical training course – like e.g. a corridor orienteering exercise.
• There will be a voting process among the readers of “World of O” in order to name “The course of the year 2023″. This is your second chance to win sponsor prizes!

Prizes from our Sponsors

Prizes from our Sponsors always makes it more fun! There will be a prize for the first one suggesting the course which ends up becoming “The course of the Year 2023″, and prizes drawn among the ones suggesting and voting. All prizes are transferable to other persons (you don’t have to travel yourself).

Event sponsor: SEE(M)OC & III. PERGAMON O-WEEK 2024 August 28th – September 1st 2024 (Turkiye)

• Prize offered: 3 packages, each consisting of 2 free participations for 5 stages in any class (competition classes or open courses), 2 free accommodation and 2 free transportation from Event Center to competition arenas at SEE(M)OC & Pergamon O- Week 2024. Total value up to 1560 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
• More information:  3 competitions in one event. 12th South-East European Orienteering Championship (SEEOC)2024, 13th South-East European Masters Orienteering Championship (SEEMOC) 2024 & III. Pergamon Orienteering Week (POW)2024.  Foot orienteering 5 days events opened for everybody, the orienteering courses for individual categories are the same as matching SEEOC/SEEMOC categories. Kozak has a unique geographical structure consisting mostly of pine nut forest at an average altitude of 700-800 meters above sea level. The terrain shows detailed contours features and makes it important to use orienteering techniques. For more information see https://seeoc2024.org & https://anatolia-o-group.com/en/

Event sponsor: 56th Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW), June 30th – July 5th (Finland)

• Prize offered: 4 packages, each consisting of 2 free participations for the whole week in any class (competition classes or open courses) at Kainuu Orienteering Week 2024. Total value up to 920 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
• Open and International Orienteering Week in Finland, city of Kajaani and Joutenlampi competition terrain (EOC and WUOC qualification races in stages 1-3)
• More information: Kainuu Orienteering Week is the Finland’s biggest orienteering week and the world’s second oldest orienteering week, as it has been held annually since the year 1966. Kainuu O Week is held in the Kainuu region of Finland and traditionally the event is held in the beginning of July (week 27). Welcome to Kajaani to enjoy orienteering and holiday week in the amazing orienteering terrain of Joutenlampi. Joutenlampi is most well-known for its pine forest moor terrain where runnability is mostly very good. KOW2024’s orienteering map and terrain area is definitely one of the best in Kainuu. Experience a memorable orienteering week in Kajaani! Note also the 3rd official Kainuu MTBO Week 30 June – 5 July in Kajaani – come and enjoy the best MTBO terrains and great landscapes of Kainuu and Kajaani. The following entry steps are: 29th Feb 2024 / 31st May 2024 / 10th June 2024. For more information see www.rastiviikko.fi.

Event sponsor: 5 Days Dolomiti Paganella, July 1st – 6th 2024 (Italy)

• Price offered: 2 packages, each consisting of 2 free entries to the complete 5 Days Colomiti Paganella. Total value of the package is approximately 480 euro.
• More information: Every year 5 Days brings you to Italy to discover wonderful locations where you can practice orienteering, and in 2024 it will be Trentino‘s moment to welcome you to its Paganella Dolomites. From July 1 to 6, a corner of paradise, including Molveno, Andalo, Fai della Paganella, Cavedago, Spormaggiore, San Lorenzo Dorsino, and Piana Rotaliana, will host your vacation, which will allow the whole family to spend pleasant days of sports but not only.There are numerous proposals aimed at adults and children, so don’t waste time: you have until December 31 to register for 5 Days Dolomiti Paganella at a discounted price.  Webpage: https://www.5daysitaly.it/

Event sponsor: 5+5 Italy, 30th September to 4th October and 7th October to 11th October 2024

• Price offered: 2 packages, each consisting of 2 free entries to the complete 5+5 Lignano in October 2024. Total value of the package is approximately 480 euro.
• More information: PWT Italia will organize the traditional 5+5 days next October among the forests and cities around Venice and Trieste. Event centre on the beach. Information and Bulletin will be available at https://www.orienteering.it shortly

Software sponsor: OCAD Orienteering 3-year single user license

• Prize offered: One 3-year runtime single user licence for the software “OCAD Orienteering”.  Value about 400 EUR. Transferable to other person (before activation).
• More information: OCAD 2018 Orienteering – Perfect to Produce Orienteering Maps. Course Setting Module included! Read more at https://www.ocad.com/en/.

Event sponsor: OOCup 2024, July 16th – 20th 2024 (France)

• Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of: Entry for the complete 5 days OOCup competition. Total value around 400 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
• In 2024 we are going back to AIN department, France. We will use areas close to ones from 2018 and 2020 but with plenty of newly mapped terrain! Some fabulous karst forests are waiting for you at OOcup/2024. It is going to be GREAT! More at oocup.com

Event sponsor: Lipica Open 2024, March 9th – 13th 2024 (Slovenia)

• Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of entry to complete 5 Day Lipica Open competition. Value up to about 330 euro. Transferable to other persons.
• Lipica Open is a popular season starter in the Kras region of Slovenia. Enjoy Slovenian karst terrain already in March. Please note that there are good training camp possibilities in SW part of Slovenia and feel free to contact us regarding that at any time. More at www.lipicaopen.com

Event sponsor: Tenerife O Camp 2024 Edition

• Prize offered: A package for 2 people consisting of complete Tenerife O Camp 2024 Edition with 10 forest and 15 sprint trainings with omaps.io print & home delivered. Value up to 328 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
• More information: In 2021, Tenerife O Camp was born out of the ambition of three Finnish mapmakers and course setters, who envisioned turning Tenerife into the best hotspot for winter orienteering. Already, this vision has come to fruition, attracting the world’s leading orienteers and national teams, as well as tourists who wish to explore the island through orienteering. The camp offers technical orienteering in various terrain types from the slopes of volcanoes to the detailed subtropical pine forests, all with unforgettable scenery. The combination of labyrinthine old towns, beach boulevards, and cozy fishing villages all around the island makes TOC ideal for sprint orienteering. Tenerife has earned its nickname “The Island of Eternal Spring,” as it nearly always enjoys temperatures above +20°C and over eight hours of sunshine daily throughout the year. With a wide range of accommodations and services, Tenerife O Camp provides an ideal setting for an exceptional orienteering experience. Read more at https://tenerifeocamp.com/

Event sponsor: Kapa 2024 – June 28th – 30th (Latvia)

• Prize offered: Two “family entry packages” to Kapa 3days, where each package includes an entry for two adults and one child, space for a tent at the event camping and a car parking voucher. Total value is around 250 EUR. Transferable to other person.
• More information: Kapa 3-days is the leading orienteering event in the Baltics, the 37th edition! We have hosted participants from around 20 countries, annually 1500 to 2000 orienteers. It is a long o-weekend for families – from Friday to Sunday 28th to 30th of June. This year we are entering a new terrain near Daugavpils, in the eastern part of Latvia.
• Kindergarten will be available at the event centre, great atmosphere guaranteed, live music at the evening and a sprint relay at the event centre on day 2. Come with your family and enjoy the Baltic summer and the beautiful nature in Latvia! This year’s event page: https://2024.kapa.lv. Facebook page: https://facebook.com/Kapa3days.

Event sponsor: Pomorze Spint Cup 2024, May 24th – 26th 2024

• Prize offered: 1 free entry package for 2 people for the Pomorze Sprint Cup 2024 to be held on 24-26 May 2024 in Kwidzyn. The package includes the entry fee and accommodation for 2 nights for 2 people. The value of the package is approximately EUR 230.
• More information: We have already run around the medieval castles in Malbork and Gniew and the castle ruins in Dzierzgoń. We ran routes around the Bishop’s Gardens in Pelplin and through the historic streets of Grudziądz and Tczew. We also ran a route around the amazing Grudziadz Citadel, which was chosen as the “Course of the Year of 2022” . Each time we take you to interesting and surprising places in northern Poland. This time we will move to where it all began in 2019 and return to Kwidzyn after 5 years. Two stages will be organised in the historic center of the city. 2 of them are to count towards the World Ranking Event and one will have a Knock Out Sprint formula. Competitors in the other categories in all 4 stages will start in such a way that they can also cheer on the elite at all times. See you in Pomerania! More information will be available at the webpage http://www.umkskwidzyn.pl/aktualnosci-psc-2024

Event sponsor: NAOM 2024, February 16th – 18th 2024

• Prize offered: Competition package for two persons for NAOM 2024 + complete package for GD4C training camps in Alto Alentejo. Value of 200 EUR.
• Between the 16th and 18th of February 2024, NAOM welcomes you to Alto Alentejo. NAOM 2024 will offer two new forest maps in terrains with many rock details in fast Alentejo terrain. The sprint will equally offer a high challenge in the old town of Portalegre.
• More information: From January until march GD4C training camps will offer over 15 trainings in the region of Portalegre and Castelo de Vide with many interesting training opportunities. Website: https://gd4caminhos.com/naom/en/