World Schools Champs 2008

[Mrs H]

The Irish team was 'Ireland' as in the whole Island, much like their rugby team, and I think their national O team? Might be wrong on that one, but I'm sure people from NI have represented Ireland at WOC (wattok?)
edit: I heard someone say last week that Aine was eligible to run for either GB or Ireland and she may have to choose...

I didn't know that - interesting. But I did know that there have been Welsh runners in the english team for several years and that it is considered legitimate. But if that is the case then logic dictates that one way or another Aine should have been deemed to have a school team to support her.
either she had the "united Ireland" team - or she had the "English" team - just like the Welsh runner. I just cannot see how there was a hole for her to fall through - even if she had to make the choice between one or the other. I think any lawyer would have a field day arguing her case on that one.

[andy]

I think any lawyer would have a field day arguing her case on that one.

sounds about right

[Nottinghamshire outlaw]

With all this arguing about what is and what isn't right about the individual results the focus has been taken away from the team results which are now at:

http://www.wsco2008.org.uk/results/merg ... sults.html

Congratulations to Ulverston Victoris' senior girls on their silver medal and to the England select teams medals.

The rules about competing relate to whether the 'national' school sports association exists and is affiliated to ISF. Perhaps there isn't a Welsh or Northern Irish National School Sports Association, never mind a Welsh or Northern Irish schools orienteering body and no amount of posting on nopesport is going to change the ISF rules.

I have heard that Aine's win was celebrated with her up on the podium and being given a trophy but that wasn't mentioned in the report(s) just as the English team medals weren't!

[Mrs H]

Whose arguing? We all seem to be pretty much in agreement. This isn't an ISF website or even a BSOA or BOF one so I think we can discuss any aspect of the competition which interests us - as can you - so please feel free to take it in any direction you choose. and yes I have already mentioned the lack of news on the english team's achievements - even the BSOA site is concentrating on Scottish bronze.

[Paul Frost]

Scottish selection races can't be far away (probably scottish schools champs on 6th May)

Put Glasgow 2014 and the Commonwealth Games on the back burner.
Set your sights on Madrid 2009 and ISF World Schools Championship Orienteering.
The road to Spring in Spain for Scotland’s 13 to 17 year olds starts on Friday June 6th at Coatbridge’s Drumpellier Park (very accessible, just off the motorway) when Scottish Schools Orienteering stage the 2008 Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival.

First ISF rule for taking part in the “Worlds” is you must compete in your national school championships – that means the Scottish Festival.
Second is that entries to any competition group must be headed by an entry to the schools section.

Full story on the Scottish Orienteering website
People will need to make some fast plans if they fancy a trip to Madrid!

[graeme]

[

I'm sure people from NI have represented Ireland at WOC (wattok?)

Yes, and also at SHI. Presumably that's why our team is called GBR and not UK ?

[andy]

Presumably that's why our team is called GBR and not UK ?

could be

[Snail]

Eligibility for all these compeitions are different.

For the World Schoolds I think your school has to "belong" to a member federation of the ISSF. Some countries have more than one member federation, eg UK(England) and UK(Scotland) are separate members, and Belgium has three. Other countries, eg Lithuania, Japan, and I guess effectively Wales and Northern Ireland, are not members at all, so it is awkward or impossible to participate unless you somehow piggyback onto another Select team.

IOF representative competitions require individuals to have "full passport-holding citizenship" of the country they represent. And as regards abbreviations I think they follow the IOC - which also uses "GBR" for the UK (including NI).

Home Internationals are different again - with eligilibility based on one or more of birth, parents' birth or permanent residence.

[krocks]

Anyone from NI is entitled to hold Irish and/or British passports, which is confusing for some. I remember a very well-educated English female asking, in all seriousness, why someone from NI wouldn't be "supporting the British team in the England v Ireland rugby match"! And that's even before politics are brought into it ...
But it sounds like the schools champs rules are a different situation altogether. Well done to Aine, all the same

[Lucy.F.]

Just to clarify - it was the ISFs decision that Aine was non-competitive - it was decided in a long discussion the night before. They found it difficult to make her non-competitive but they had to follow the rules. - I just hope they do something to make sure this never happens again.
However, it was also a mistake by the organising committee - they should have realised the situation as soon as the entry arrived and should have informed the irish team of the problem. The committee had a lot to do - and all of us make mistakes - unfortunately this affected one of the best young orienteers.
Personally I thought the week went pretty well - the weather wasn't too bad (it was glorious for the closing ceremony!) and Britain had some great results.