WOC in the future

[Lard]

Latest installation of the story. IOF Council has approved the IOF FootO Commission proposal for the Long Qualification model. No mention of Middle though.

We'll see in a couple of weeks when it's published...

I read it as, "IOF Council have approved the proposal for both the long and the middle qualification criteria" but no explanation of what this proposal is.

Presumably, BO and Performance Group do? Could you divulge? I hope it's not based on Nations World Ranking points or perhaps how much we spend on administration as a percentage of our budget??? Or how much hot air comes out of the nation's chat pages - we'd score high for that

[Spookster]

Latest installation of the story. IOF Council has approved the IOF FootO Commission proposal for the Long Qualification model. No mention of Middle though.

We'll see in a couple of weeks when it's published...

I read it as, "IOF Council have approved the proposal for both the long and the middle qualification criteria" but no explanation of what this proposal is.

Presumably, BO and Performance Group do? Could you divulge? I hope it's not based on Nations World Ranking points or perhaps how much we spend on administration as a percentage of our budget??? Or how much hot air comes out of the nation's chat pages - we'd score high for that

You're right, it is both Long and Middle, I must have mis-read the initial announcement when it was flagged from their Facebook page.

But no, BO and Performanace Group have not seen it yet. Apparently "The proposal will be submitted for hearing to all IOF members within a couple of weeks".

http://orienteering.org/long-distance-q ... r-hearing/

[Spookster]

Apparently "The proposal will be submitted for hearing to all IOF members within a couple of weeks".

... and here it is.

http://orienteering.org/iof-council-pro ... pionships/

[Spookster]

For those of you interested in following the development of the programme and rules for WOC in the Future, the IOF has published the feedback it received from member countries to the current proposal. It is here.

http://orienteering.org/foot-orienteeri ... he-future/

[DJM]

And a summary of the minutes of last weekend's IOF Foot-O Commission meeting contains FOC's discussion on the WOC Qualification document, and is available at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Meeting-Summary-2-2013.pdf

[Big Jon]

Looks as if the majority of nations were against removing qualification but Foot_O committee ignored this.
Welcome to the new world of O where the pursuit of TV will result in the dumbing down of WOC to a series of sprint-O races and mixed relays with a couple of forest events grudgingly allowed to survive.
Nothing will come of major TV interest or inclusion in Olympics - orienteering doesn't generate any TV money which is the only deciding factor in Olympic inclusion.

[DJM]

Looks as if the majority of nations were against removing qualification but Foot_O committee ignored this.

It's not quite as black and white as this as all IOF Commissions are tied by the voting at the 2012 General Assembly, a summary of which is available on the IOF website and which says

The model that carried favour at the end of the debate and a series of votes was that proposed by the IOF Council. This has the following programme:

* Sprint individual – interval start qualification and final
* Sprint relay, mixed teams
* Middle individual Final, interval start, participation according to nation’s strength. Plus reigning World Champion; seeded start order
* Long individual Final, interval start, participation as Middle distance
* Relay Final – as now

The rules for qualification have still to be determined.

We are now at the "rules for qualification" stage.

As for

a couple of forest events grudgingly allowed to survive

note that the new programme retains all three forest cornerstones of current WOCs: Middle, Long and Relay.

[greywolf]

note that the new programme retains all three forest cornerstones of current WOCs: Middle, Long and Relay.

Aye, you've had to keep them, but you're doing your best to make an arse of them.

Nice job of clashing WMOC 2015 with WOC 2015, btw

[greywolf]

the IOF has published the feedback it received from member countries to the current proposal. It is here.

Is that really all that BOF could think of to say?
Are there no concerns about:
* increasing the size of the fields for the middle & long
* running them in exactly the same start order (except the top ten)
* reducing the start interval
* allowing runners from the same nation to start consecutively
* placing too much emphasis on a relay result where one mp will relegate the team for future WOCs
* disadvantaging poorer/smaller nations who might not be able to afford to attend many WREs or send a full team to a distant WOC

[Spookster]

Is that really all that BOF could think of to say?
Are there no concerns about:
* increasing the size of the fields for the middle & long
* running them in exactly the same start order (except the top ten)
* reducing the start interval
* allowing runners from the same nation to start consecutively
* placing too much emphasis on a relay result where one mp will relegate the team for future WOCs
* disadvantaging poorer/smaller nations who might not be able to afford to attend many WREs or send a full team to a distant WOC

Perhaps, but those consulted did not raise those points.

[graeme]

Perhaps, but those consulted did not raise those points.

So you didn't think to ask the guy who's spent more time than anyone else in the terrain and thinking about how to actually fit WOC2015 into Moray areas?

Anyone who's run in Scotland knows that tracking up is a massive concern in the summer, and doubling the size of the field will make it very hard to avoid a scalextric course. And anyone who looked at pack formation e.g. Bernt Myrvold's extensive report knows the shortened start interval means there's no chance of anyone winning through independent navigation.

These may look like technical tweaks, but they affect the very character of the events. The skills needed for long and middle will be using a pack and following a track, and the elites are already changing their training to accommodate this.

Of course, the elites mainly care about medals, and there are now more to be had: we have some very fast runners in the squad, and excellent sprint orienteers, so the dumbing-down changes may benefit GBR.

[andypat]

Adrienne?! Adrienne?!...

[Spookster]

Perhaps, but those consulted did not raise those points.

So you didn't think to ask the guy who's spent more time than anyone else in the terrain and thinking about how to actually fit WOC2015 into Moray areas?

I've PM'd you.

[Big Jon]

Clashing WOC and WMOC is utterly cretinous, fewer spectators for WOC (and fewer competitors for 6-Days) and fewer competitors for WMOC.
What a f**k-up by IOF.

[Oldman]

It certainly looks like it to me, and why couldn't it be changed even now, it's more than 2 years away, FFS!