Rome 2013

[Mrs H]

The email with the amended form has arrived - I'm going to drop them in to the doctors with a covering note tomorrow - explaining it's for Italians and just what we do every weekend anyway - fortunately I frequently encounter the doctor out walking her dog on the hills when I go for my joggette so i'm hoping it wont be a problem.

[madmike]

M/W 12, OPEN K, OPEN L and Esordienti (Beginners) classes are non-competitive here.

Why would M/W12 be non-competitive in Italy, British kids have been competing for several years by this age, do all the other entrants from other non-Italian clubs realise this because I could not see anything on the website and your comment I believe was the first mention of this.

Fortunately we had planned to be in Rome for a half-term holiday, the fact that Orienteering was also on was initially thought to be a bonus but what with the medical saga (even the Spanish champs did not want one from us last year) and now M/W12 being non-competitive then it's not looking like the result I had initially thought.

Incidentally how do you stop M/W12's being competitive?

in effect, they compete but the class is regarded as noncompetitive ditto Open. As far as I can tell, the only difference with noncomp classes is you can enter on the day, all compclasses have to be pre-entered. The M/W12s will have results published the same as anyone else and may get different (kiddie friendly prizes) they won't even know that is it regarded as noncomp and probably won't care.


An example, I am medically downgraded awaiting a knee op so cannot get a med cert (compeitive) but have a non-competitve one. Therefore, I have a trophy at home for being Lazio Region Long Distance OPEN Champion which is exactly the same trophy awarded to the M21E winner and I ran the same course as the W55 runners, faster than any of them but running in a noncompetitive manner !

Don't try applying northern European logic to this......................

[Slowtochide]

The question was asked about whether headlamps are needed for the Friday race. However I can't find a response - but have I just managed to overlook it? Not the most urgent of questions but nice to know sometime.

It looks like I'm going to need 2 pairs of shoes as well, 'studs' for the first 2 races and 'flats' for Sunday...

Thanks to Mad Mike for trying to find a way through the madness of it all

The whole world's mad I don't know why, you have to laugh or else you cry...

[madmike]

The question was asked about whether headlamps are needed for the Friday race. However I can't find a response - but have I just managed to overlook it? Not the most urgent of questions but nice to know sometime.

It looks like I'm going to need 2 pairs of shoes as well, 'studs' for the first 2 races and 'flats' for Sunday...

Thanks to Mad Mike for trying to find a way through the madness of it all

The whole world's mad I don't know why, you have to laugh or else you cry...

thank you!

Bring a headtorch is the advice from Daniele, and I agree as you might not need it to run or to see the controls but I think you may need it to read the map by the end of the course.

My shoe recommendations would be:

Definitely no studs day 3 at Coloseo
Villa Borghese road or oshoes(XTalon type rather than dobs)
Villa Ada dobs or Xtalon type

If you only want to bering one pair of shoesthen a Xtalon type shoe will cut the mustard for all 3 days. If I were you I would not just bring dobs as you will have very sore feet by the end of day 3.

[Slowtochide]

Thanks Mike, that's clear enough

[nooomember]

Are shorts allowed all 3 days, or full leg cover day 1 and 2 ?

[madmike]

Are shorts allowed all 3 days, or full leg cover day 1 and 2 ?

Shorts will be fine for Days 1 and 3, however, if I were you I would have full leg cover on Day 2 in case Zarfo sends you through some of the greener bits!

[Jayne]

Sorry to come back to this but one of our group having trouble with getting a medcert.

saw my GP Thursday and to cut a long story short he wouldn't sign it without a 175 quid, 45 minute medical. Very disappointed, but actually a bit sympathetic to the doctor who explained that he has received guidance from the BMI on this whole area and that the organisers are transferring liability if something should happen to me, from themselves to him. If you look at what he's signing, he saying that "based on a sport physical exam done by" him, I am "in good health and fit to take part in a competitive orienteering race according to current laws". The debatable question I suppose would be is a full medical required for him to say I am "in good health and fit to take part". It's an unfortunate consequence of living in both a health and safety conscious culture (a good thing in my opinion) and an increasingly litigious one at the same time (not so good ).

Bit stuck over what to do next. What experiences have others had - and does anyone know what the position is for GPs over things like this. Am going to my GP tomorrow so will see what happens.

[heatonman]

The wording is important. I had an mot type exam recently, ecg vo2, etc. Retrospectively thedoctor wouldnt sign as she isn't a 'sports' doctor. She had googled italian law and recognisex the issue. GP next stop.
Perhaps fallback is production of valid travel insurance?

[Miffy]

I got exactly the same answer from the doc Jayne, with an added "and we don't have any appointments available until early November." (not that I was willing to pay that much anyway!) The doc accepted that the courses were only 5km and she knows I do that several times a week already but won't sign to the precise wording on the form.

Looks like I won't be allowed to run, v v disappointed

....unless heatonman's comment about travel insurance offers a glimmer of hope? I have insurance that covers competitive orienteering.

[Jayne]

Yeah it's a bit more precise than the forms I've add for France (which are pretty much "to the best of my knowledge there's no reason this person can't compete).

I think travel insurance was discussed and was a no go.

I was wondering whether it was possible to run the course you've entered for but be "non-competitive" as it seems the issue is only for "competitive courses". I guess that comes down to what is meant by competitive (which i'm sure is a whole other can of worms).

[Big Jon]

Make up a doctors name and forge a signature - it'll save you loads of hassle and/or cost.

[Angry Haggis]

For the Venice Marathon which takes place in three weeks:

Participation requirements
To take part in the race foreign athletes residing outside Italy have to:

* be member of a foreign Sports Federation affiliated with IAAF and in this case have to be 20 on the race day and provide Venicemarathon with a copy of the association license

or

* provide A.S.D. Venicemarathon Club with a copy of the health form filled out and signed by their own physician, in this case athletes have to be 23 on race day and have to add to the race fee the cost of 7,00 Euros for the FIDAL daily license.

If foreign athletes are living in Italy they have to provide ASD Venicemarathon Club with a copy of the "Certificato Medico per l'idoneità all'attività agonistica" (which is a special certificate issued by sports medical centers only in Italy) and have to add to the race fee the cost of 7.00 Euros for the FIDAL daily license.

Curious as to why the Rome orienteering should have requirements that are so much more onerous.

[mikey]

With WOC in Italy next year, I am curious about what situation the Italian rule is trying to avoid.

Presumably, being sued on the basis that 'you let me run when I wasn't fit and I am now ill'. Has that ever happened in O or any other sport?

If not, then surely a self-certification 'I take part at my own risk' would be sufficient?

At the moment, the WOC public races are looking increasingly unattractive.

BOF really need to get on the case with this.

[heatonman]

Just looking at the WMOC med cert it has less stringent wording - and maybe that is an issue for italian law - but if this wording was adopted for rome it may reduce problems,
i.e.
"According to the results of medical check-ups and examinations, is currently healthy and fit to
participate in competitive orienteering events and in particular World Master Orienteering
Campionship 2013 (2 -10 August 2013). "

No mention of sports assessments. I think this would be more acceptable to the UK medical profession.

BTW if you live in the right part of the world Tees Uni do the required test fo £90.

According to BUPA (test fee £199) they wouldn't sign(they haven't got yr med records). They would pass back the data to your GP to sign.