History of orienteering

The history of orienteering begins in the late 19th century in Sweden, where it originated as military training. The competitive sport began when the first competition was held for Swedish military officers on 28 May 1893 at the yearly games of the Stockholm garrison.Fact|date=May 2008 The first civilian competition, in Norway on 31 October 1897, was sponsored by the Tjalve Sports Club and held near Oslo. The course was long by modern standards, at 19.5 km, on which only three controls were placed. The competition was won by Peder Fossum in a time of 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 7 seconds.cite book|last=Palmer|first=Peter|title=The Complete Orienteering Manual|publisher=The Crowood Press Ltd.|date=1997|edition=1|volume=1|pages=18-19|isbn=1-86126-095-4|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=English] The term "orienteering" emerged two decades later, in 1918.Citation
last =Ryan | first =Rachel Estrada | date =September/October 2008
title =Lost and Found | periodical =AAA World | publisher =AAA Mid-Atlantic | volume =10 | issue =5 | pages =18
url = | issn = | doi = | oclc = | accessdate =2008-09-01]

Europe between the two world wars

At the end of World War I the first large scale orienteering meet was organized in 1918 by Major Ernst Killander of Stockholm, Sweden. Then President of the Stockholm Amateur Athletic Association, Killander was a Scouting Movement leader who saw orienteering as an opportunity to interest youth in athletics. The meet was held south of Stockholm in 1919 and was attended by 220 athletes.cite book
last=Boga|first=Steven|title=Orienteering: The Sport of Navigating with Map & Compass
publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA|date=1997
edition=1|volume=1|pages=1|chapter=1|isbn=0-8117-2870-6|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=English ] Killander is credited with coining the Swedish word "orientering", from which the word orienteering is derived, in publicity materials for this meet.cite book
last=Palmer|first=Peter|title=The Complete Orienteering Manual|publisher=The Crowood Press Ltd.
date=1997
edition=1
volume=1
pages=19
isbn=1-86126-095-4
accessdate=2008-08-18
language=English ] Killander continued to develop the rules and principles of the sport, and today is widely regarded throughout Scandinavia as the "Father of Orienteering".

The sport gained popularity with the development of more reliable compasses in the 1930s. The first international competition between orienteers of Sweden and Norway was held outside Oslo, Norway, in 1932. In 1933, the Swedish compass manufacturer Silva Sweden AB introduced a new compass design, the protractor compass. Until the introduction of the thumb compass, the protractor compass would remain the state of the art in the sport. By 1934, over a quarter million Swedes were actively participating in the sport, and orienteering had spread to Finland, Switzerland, the Soviet Union and Hungary. The nations of Finland, Norway and Sweden all established national championships.Palmer, Peter (1997). "The Complete Orienteering Manual". Wiltshire, England: The Crowood Press Ltd., ISBN 1-86126-095-4, p. 20.] The Swedish national orienteering society, "Svenska Orienteringsförbundet", the first national orienteering society, was founded in 1936.cite book
last=Boga|first=Steven|title=Orienteering: The Sport of Navigating with Map & Compass
publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
date=1997|edition=1|volume=1|pages=2|chapter=1|isbn=0-8117-2870-6|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=English ]

pread beyond Europe after WW II

Following World War II, orienteering spread throughout Europe, and to North America, Oceania, and Asia. This spread was due in part to post-war travel by European orienteers.

In North America, the first orienteering event took place in the United States, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in November 1941. It was organized by Piltti Heiskanen, a visiting teacher from Finland. Swedish orienteer and business man Bjorn Kjellström, who moved to the United States in 1946, had a major influence on the sport there. In 1967, Norwegian Harald Wibye founded the first U.S. orienteering club, the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association, which 30 years later was the largest orienteering club in the United States.cite book|last=Boga|first=Steven|title=Orienteering: The Sport of Navigating with Map & Compass|publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA|date=1997|edition=1|volume=1|pages=3-4|isbn=0-8117-2870-6|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=English] In 1971, a group of orienteers led by members of the then four year old Quantico Orienteering Club founded the United States Orienteering Federation.

The Canadian Orienteering Federation was founded in 1967, and the first Canadian national orienteering championship was held at Gatineau Park in Ottawa on August 10, 1968. [cite web|url=http://www.orienteering.ca/HISTORY.htm|title=History of the Canadian Orienteering Federation|last=Kirk|first=Colin|date=2006|publisher=Canadian Orienteering Federation|language=English|accessdate=2006-02-22] The only World Championship to be held in North America took place at Harriman State Park, New York, USA, in 1993.

In Australia, the first orienteering event was held in 1955.Fact|date=May 2008

Establishment as a world sport

The first international governing body for orienteering was the International Orienteering Federation, which was formed by Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and West Germany in 1961. [cite web
url=http://www.hickoksports.com/history/orienteering.shtml|title=Orienteering|date=2004-04-18
publisher=hickoksports.com|accessdate=2008-08-31 ]

Eleven countries sent representatives to an international conference in Sandviken, Sweden, in 1949 that aimed to bring more consistent rules and mapping standards to the sport. The Norwegians and Swedes began producing new multi-color maps with cartography designed specifically for orienteering, in the 1950s.Fact|date=May 2008 The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was established in 1961 and the first world championships were held in 1966.Fact|date=May 2008 The founding member societies represented the nations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. By 1969, the IOF would represent 16 countries, including the first two non-European member societies representing Japan and Canada. [cite web|url=http://www.momentech.com.au/droc/HistoryOrienteering.asp|title=Orienteering History|last=Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club|publisher=Momentech Software Services|accessdate=2006-02-19]

Sixty-seven different national orienteering federations are member societies of the IOF today.cite web|url=http://www.orienteering.org/i3/index.php?/iof2006|title=National Federations|publisher=International Orienteering Federation|language=English|accessdate=2006-02-19] World championships were held biannually from 1961 to 2003, and are now held every year.

References