Orienteering in London Olympics

[SeanC]

Well... no-one's mentioned it so far so I'm going to.

I went to the olympic park on Sunday to watch Hockey. The atmosphere was fantastic... a really enjoyable day out.

So could orienteering have worked at the London Olympics?

Classic O in Epping Forest with tracking and expert commentary to the baffled masses?

A relay in Hampstead Heath with cameras from giant cranes to show runners as they dart in and out of the copses?

Urban O linking iconic London sights to make the games even more of an advert for the London Tourist Board than it is already?

Or should we just forget about orienteering for the next few weeks and enjoy the olympics as they are?

[mharky]

Let's pretend orienteer were to get into the Olympics, then the event would need to be held in a location where spectators wouldn't interact/interfere with the competitors. Although the IOF seem to be plugging for some form of urban based orienteering to be included I can't see how it is possible. As far as I know, in no other events do competitors have to negotiate spectators (although the men's road race was pretty packed!). For safety, security and overall fairness there would have to be no spectators loose on the course, only behind barriers, ropes and in stands.

I can't see how the IOC would allow a sprint race round the olympic park with tens of thousands of people walking about... although that would make a bloody good sprint race.

[mikey]

A sprint around the white water site with the spectators kept in the stands would work pretty well.

[eddie]

What size area does the Three Day Eventing Cross Country course cover? (Potentially being clever you might be able to use that area)

Oh and to add to Sean's bit i went last weekend and it was bloody great. All those naesayers can gtf.

[Mrs H]

..and golf will be in the 2016 Olympics, a golf course would make great sprint venue.

[PhilJ]

At the Oringen in 2010? They had the elite sprint in a local park, we were all allowed to stand at the control sites as the elites run passed..granted there were only probably 1000 spectators but it was great having a beer a watching the big boys and girls hairing around the place...atmosphere was epic plus big screen..live screening etc

[Monte]

What size area does the Three Day Eventing Cross Country course cover?

Greenwich Park is roughly a 1 km square and has been used for orienteering.

For the sprint at an event the size of the Olympics it would be possible to create a film set village with 'buildings' on rollers or overhead wires so they could be moved between races. And how about using see-through buildings?
The World Cup event at Battersea Park had artificial boulders (painted canvas and wood?) and we have had the occasional plantpot in place of a removed tree or paddling pool for a dried-up pond so there are precedents but not on the same scale.

[SeanC]

Three day eventing = Greenwich Park. Used by DFOK for local events. 2 laps of the park is about 6k, done by non-elites in 30 mins, but obviously half or more of the park is currently taken over by spectators.

The olympic park was so busy on Sunday you couldn't possibly run. Any O there would have to be very early in the morning, but that might fit in with some countries TV. I would imagine Orienteering's chances might be improved if controls were sited around the McDs , though personally I think those places should be detonated . Sprint O round the park could be a way of showing off the park... there are some interesting bits that you don't see on the TV, some telephone box art, mirrors on the underside of bridges....

Maybe an offering comprising the TV friendly version (park/urban sprint) plus the classic O might work? In the same way that 3 day eventing offers TV friendly disciplines and the less accessible (odd?) dressage stuff?

I guess there's not much chance unless orienteering could be shown to significantly add income/value to the olympics, and I know that some people here think that the sport shouldn't be altered to accommodate the olympics, but I've come round to the view that orienteering in the olympics would be a really good thing, in particular

1) As an antidote to the "orienteering is not a sport" brigade.
2) To recruit people who have drifted away from the sport. Local hockey club has had 5 new members join in the past 4 days.....

[mharky]

SeanC, perhaps you'd like to come up with the $150+million that McDonalds has paid in sponsorship?

[DaveK]

Probably needs another summer olympics to be held in Sweden (last time Stockholm in 1912) or Norway; and for orienteering to be offered as a 'demonstration' sport.

[Big Jon]

I thought demonstration sports had been removed. If (and its a BIG if) O gets into the Olympics, then I hope that real orienteering is used, not urban sprint version (O-lite). Several other sports are being held off-site - eg sailing/windsurfing, so basing O in a proper forest within 50-80km would be a far better option.

[King Penguin]

I can think of several existing Olympic "sports" which, in my opinion, are less deserving of a place than Orienteering.

[Taybank]

I think that a version of "line orienteering" - following the line on a map with no control sites shown but with a list of control descriptions would get over the major problems of bringing orienteering to the public / olympics.
1 Everybody (on course) would run past as many TV cameras as you want to put out there.
2 Spectators could be herded into fast running/ no control areas to cheer and shout .
3 It could use park, or traditional forest areas.
4 Course always the same structure - 5km with 15 controls (easy for people to understand and get excited about)
It's not orienteering as we know it but then...........
c/f golf
5 The other thing would be to change the name ..... e.g.sko (lets sko) (going skoing) or something else suitably scandinavian and a name not to be confused with hiking.
PS I know sko is norwegian for shoes but does that matter.

[Scott]

I thought demonstration sports had been removed.

Officially, yes, but that didn't stop China.

[mharky]

I think that a version of "line orienteering" - following the line on a map with no control sites shown but with a list of control descriptions would get over the major problems of bringing orienteering to the public / olympics.
1 Everybody (on course) would run past as many TV cameras as you want to put out there.
2 Spectators could be herded into fast running/ no control areas to cheer and shout .
3 It could use park, or traditional forest areas.
4 Course always the same structure - 5km with 15 controls (easy for people to understand and get excited about)
It's not orienteering as we know it but then...........
c/f golf
5 The other thing would be to change the name ..... e.g.sko (lets sko) (going skoing) or something else suitably scandinavian and a name not to be confused with hiking.
PS I know sko is norwegian for shoes but does that matter.

And that is why I have no faith in the world