Thierry - 2 more years

[mikey]

http://orienteering.org/gueorgiou-two-more-years/

Great news!

[Big Jon]

Can't we persuade him to stay on till 2015 and WOC in Scotland?

[brooner]

Might depend on what WOC looks like.

[mikey]

Let's hope that the IOF actually listens to the world's elite rather than push through a change that hardly anyone wants.

[Scott]

Let's hope that the IOF actually listens to the world's elite rather than push through a change that hardly anyone wants.

Ultimately, it's not down to "the IOF" - it'll be decided at a general assembly, where each of that national federations has one vote. So it'd be better to hope that the various national federations listen to their athletes...

[andypat]

Yeah - but who decides what to offer the members to vote on. Sounds like its how we ended up with the current proposal thats the issue - thats the IOF isnt it?

[Scott]

The process that got us to the current proposal is explained in great detail here. There was some athlete involvement, but I think it's fair to say that there could have been more.

There's nothing to stop any member federation putting forward an alternative proposal. What started all this was a proposal brought by the Norwegian federation in 2008 to include a mass-start event in WOC, which they withdrew when the IOF proposed a full review of the WOC format instead.

[SJC]

Is there anything stating what the athletes don't like about the proposed WOC arrangements ?

[andypat]

Yes - via Brooners link above - pretty much everything about it. And although Scott says there was some athlete involvement it sounds like you'ld struggle to find one who admits to actually being one of them!

[Big Jon]

Sounds like the IOF "athlete involvement" of the past - In late '90's IOF talked a good talk but then completely ignored any attempt by athletes to get responses from national team members on a wide scale basis (as opposed to asking a few chosen top runners what they thought). Can't believe that IOF have improved their approach since then - with crazy ideas being proposed more and more frequently in an increasingly frantic attempt to "increase media interest".
Put on good quality races and orienteers will be interested, put on crap useless outlandish races and nobody will be interested.