can anyone advise - in competition area prior to event

[mharky]

So we should embargo the JK, all British Champs, Scottish Champs, Welsh Champs, Northern, Midlands and Southern Champs, CSC heats & final, Yvette Baker Trophy, Jamie Stevenson Trophy, UK Relay League, FCC, UK Cup, Masters Cup, Nopesport Urban League, BUCS, British Schools, JIRCs, JHI, SHI, VHI, and all race used for their selection, all Interland selection races, all junior tour selection races, all international competition selection races.

Anything else?

[mharky]

I think Graeme alludes to a good point, that the level of the event is not the same as the importance of an event, as Street has clearly illustrated.

I'm sure BUCS has been level C at some point, and I don't remember any official embargo being put on the BOF website. But the areas get announced and we stay out of them.

All this just because you-know-who was having another pop at something to do with the White Rose. The White Rose! Who cares if someone is in the terrain for the White Rose? It's an end of summer holiday weekend event.

How many people out there are going through the embargo list and noticing that the South Central CSC round hasn't been embargoed, I might go train on Star Posts a million times to gain a massive advantage.

This seems a lot like those mysterious holidaying Swedes who keep winning the British Champs, is there actually a problem here? Our major events have embargos, lesser events can set them up.

[roadrunner]

Surely the most important aspects of this are covered by the rules of the sport, rather than embargos for specific events:

1.5 Fairness
1.5.1 The spirit of fairness and good fellowship shall be the guiding principle in all aspects of the sport, including the interpretation of these Rules.
1.5.2 Competitors shall not seek to obtain any unfair advantage over other competitors.
1.5.3 Spectators and team officials shall remain in the areas assigned to them.
1.5.4 No person shall enter the competition area unless authorised by the Organiser.
Shadowing of competitors is at the discretion of the Organiser, but the competitor who is shadowed shall be non-competitive.
1.5.5 Any search for the competition course or inspection of the competition area before the race is forbidden.

So going into the area (without permission) before your start, or searching for controls even if you do have the organiser's permission to be there (e.g. helpers) is explicitly forbidden whatever the level of the event. Similarly, I'd say attending a newcomers' event in the area shortly before a major event purely to gain prior knowledge of the area would fall under rule 1.5.2, and anyone doing so ought to declare themselves non-competitive. So it might still be worth having embargos for the most major events, but couldn't the others just be covered by the rules of the sport?

Of course, if you stick to urban events then there aren't embargos anyway

[AndyO]

Of course, if you stick to urban events then there aren't embargos anyway

not quite, roadrunner http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=214935119172519372413.0004ae794f69551df3496

[andy]

not quite, roadrunner http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=214935119172519372413.0004ae794f69551df3496

The areas might be embargoed but there are often different rules with urban events. I don't know specific cases but it's common for urban sprints to have open terrain but you are not allowed to go on with a map and run about. Walking around the area is often ok. For at least one of the woc sprint races this year I believe this was ok.

[Wayward-O]

The areas might be embargoed but there are often different rules with urban events.

Area 5 (Inverness) on the map states "Competitors, team officials and other persons, who, through knowledge of the terrain, may influence the results of the competitions, are prohibited to orienteer through the city, to test route choices, and to enter into the wooded areas. However it is allowed to stay, live, shop and work as a resident, worker, student or tourist."

[lostlad]

Yawn