2015 legacy

[ER]

The advert for the Independent Directors states "we are the hosts of the 2015 World Orienteering Championships, determined both to deliver an outstanding Championships and to capitalize on this opportunity to raise the profile of the sport nationwide, building a legacy for years to come."

If that is the case why is the sprint being held in Nairn or Forres or Elgin; why not Edinburgh or somewhere with a similar high profile much more likely to attract sponsors, media coverage, have the charged atmosphere of an international sporting event etc. Also why was Balmoral not considered for one of the forest events - obviously going to attract attention? It seems that next year with all that is going on in Scotland would have been the time to host WOC. The run the castles series and the event at Balmoral seem brilliant opportunities for getting media attention; is anyone other than orienteers really going to be interested in what is happening up in Moray? Most people have never heard of Moray and its towns but they know of Edinburgh and Balmoral.

[Oldman]

It seems a bit late for this idea given that I suspect the bid (with the areas to be used) was submitted to the IOF in presumably 2011?

[graeme]

... but then came the invasion of the Norwegian Turkeys

[andypat]

And why is ER not sitting at the top of the WOC organising team investing 100s of hours of his/her own time for the good of the sport instead of sniping retrospectively on Nopesport...

Sorry - but its been a hell of a week

[Sunlit Forres]

Perhaps Highland & Moray want it more. If you're coming to the 6 days you can see for yourself what this area thinks about orienteering.

Graeme, I'm convinced the capercailzie restrictions are H&S measures to protect humans.

[mharky]

If that is the case why is the sprint being held in Nairn or Forres or Elgin; why not Edinburgh or somewhere with a similar high profile much more likely to attract sponsors, media coverage, have the charged atmosphere of an international sporting event etc. Also why was Balmoral not considered for one of the forest events - obviously going to attract attention? It seems that next year with all that is going on in Scotland would have been the time to host WOC. The run the castles series and the event at Balmoral seem brilliant opportunities for getting media attention; is anyone other than orienteers really going to be interested in what is happening up in Moray? Most people have never heard of Moray and its towns but they know of Edinburgh and Balmoral.

What a load of pish!

[graeme]

It is also the case that when we bid we were looking for somewhere with five forest and two urban areas. The new format requires three + three which changes the requirements somewhat. I suspect future WOC organisers will consider the quality of sprint terrain available, rather than just assume there will be something usable nearby.

[ER]

I did volunteer.

I know Moray very well and its O areas, its coastal forests are gorgeous but the "legacy" is to bring non orienteers into the sport.

My comments may have been mistimed and therefore mischievous as it has been decided that it is all settled even though there are still two years to go. But still I do not know the reason for not showcasing the sprint events in a well known capital city .

It may be pish to talk about a legacy from WOC 2015 but there are other benefits than the promise of a legacy in having a home champs - it should hopefully help the home country athletes to become champions and win medals.

There were 18 men and 23 women aged 21 to 34 in the Scottish Champs today spread between 3 M and 3W classes; there are not enough young people coming in to the sport and staying there. Many other running based and outdoor sports are growing massively and whereas orienteering and its offshoots such as mountain marathons were the major adventure sport 30 years ago, other sports now attract athletes who would once have chosen orienteering to test themselves.

[graeme]

But still I do not know the reason for not showcasing the sprint events in a well known capital city .

The question was certainly asked at the planning stage, and the given reason is that the IOF have a rule about how far apart WOC areas can be. Personally, I agree with you: if I were organising a big event I'd use top sprint areas near to population centres and then travel couple of hours for quality forest races.

[ER]

WOC 2014 - the sprints are in Venice and the forest events are over 100 k away on the Asiago plateau

[madmike]

WOC 2014 - the sprints are in Venice and the forest events are over 100 k away on the Asiago plateau

yes at the moment, however, this is Italy so it will probably change at least 6 times before 2014

[Freefall]

Inverness (if that is the chosen location) is well over 100 km from Edinburgh. Why shouldn't we (I live in Nairn) enjoy quality sport? We have the Scottish Open Golf here soon after all. Nobody forced that into Edinburgh.

[RJ]

Sorry Freefall but not relevant.

Golf does not need to promote its image..... the minority sport of orienteering definitely does.

[Gross]

Have BOF got anyone running the show since Dave Peel quit? I'd be more worried about that then wether the sprint was in Inverness, Tyndrum or even North Berwick.

[Sunlit Forres]

This is in Fort William http://fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk/ Should it be moved to Edinburgh too? Another thought, how did Edinburgh's football clubs compare with the Highland minnows in the SPL this year?