Can you punch a control after downloading?

[ricardito]

Quick question…

If a competitor misses (for example) the last control on their course, punches the finish, and proceeds to download where their error is discovered, can they then go back and punch that control, plus the finish, and download again to achieve a valid result?

My gut feeling is that the answer ought to be “no”, but on a quick skim through the BOF Rules I can’t find anything to explicitly confirm that.

Note that this is a slightly different situation from inadvertently punching the finish and continuing on a course, in that the competitor has gone to download in the belief that they have completed their course.

[Scott]

It is somewhat oddly tucked away in the 'conduct' section of the British Orienteering rules:

7.16 A competitor has completed their course when they record a finish punch or, in events where finish order decides the result, crosses the Finish line. Competitors are not permitted to return to their course after completion. Competitors must not re-enter the competition area after their race unless the Organiser permits them to do so.

The IOF rules similarly state that "The competition ends for a competitor when crossing the finishing line".

There has occasionally been a little flexibility applied when competitors have 'finished' unintentionally, such as at the World Cup in Borås when Kris accidentally ran down the finish funnel rather than the exit from the spectator run-through but was allowed to continue (albeit disadvantaged by the fact that the finish had turned his SIAC off).

[ricardito]

Thanks Scott!

[graeme]

With SI you certainly can punch the finish, go back onto the course, punch and punch again at the finish. I did this at a recent event where in a senior moment I was confused about whether I'd punched the last control. turned out I had, but it cost me a couple of minutes.

As 7.16 says, I completed my course when I recorded a finish punch for the second time. Should I ask for my time back?

If I was organiser, I'd certainly give the time back if someone complained, and then DQ them

[forest grump]

Imagine the scenario......you're at a major sprint race along way from home, and during the heats/qualification race you miss out a control. Whilst standing at the finish and before downloading you realise your mistake. Knowing that a mispunch in the heats means no chance of a possible shot at the title, and understanding how SI works, you head back out into the terrain, visit the control you missed and do the rest of the course again and download with a very long split to the control you missed out the first time
You qualify last, but for the A final (mostly due to there being only one) so have the first start. You race round the course and win.....therefore you are the British Champion.

What do the rules say about that?

From a technical point of view both courses were completed correctly and unless there was a protest (or an act of selflessness) then you are declared the winner.

This happened to me... except for the part where I went back out again before downloading, so whilst starting first and winning the final, I was n/c as I had mispunched in the heats.

[NeilC]

As Scott pointed out earlier the 2025 rules state very clearly that once the finish unit has been punched (or the finish line been crossed) then you can't go back out again.
Previously that point was always considered download and the finish punch was treated like any other - i.e. if you realised (by yourself) that you had missed a control out you could go back and correct the mistake.

On ocassion I have completed a score event within the time limit, punched the finish and then checked my map to see whether or not I had missed a close one and could go back out to get it and repunch the finish. Technically if going out again then made you late and resulted in a lower score you could decline the opportunity to finish again - but that would put you in breach of the not going back into the competition area after finishing rule.

[Snail]

...You qualify last, but for the A final (mostly due to there being only one) so have the first start. You race round the course and win.....therefore you are the British Champion.

What do the rules say about that?...

That's also a less likely scenario now, unless there are fewer than 7 in your class. BSOC rules for 2025 say that all larger classes are now split into an A and B final, so finishing last in the heats will no longer make the A final.