Report by Phil Conway, England Development Officer

The annual Portugal O-Meeting is a popular destination for British orienteers seeking to escape the cold and damp winter weather.  With six races held over four days in February 2020 near the coastal town of Sines, over 2,400 runners from 500 clubs in 35 countries converged on the coastal town of Sines in southern Portugal.        

Brits were represented in many classes, with some notable successes.  In the M55 class, Clive Hallett from Bristol Orienteering Klub finished overall in 2nd place, closely followed by Charlie Adams from South Yorkshire Orienteers in 3rd place.  Alison Simmons also from Bristol Orienteering Klub finished 2nd in W60 and Liz Godfree from Derwent Valley Orienteers was 3rd in W70.

The first day was unusually an Urban race format, so no surprise the Brits did well.  Jane Ackland from Interlopers won W55, and Graham Patten running for Warrior Orienteering Club was 3rd in M55.  Most spectacular of the events was the Sprint held in Sines on Day 3 where several classes ran along an artificial walkway 200 feet up in the air.   The event finished on Day 4 in Cork Oak Forest, typical across much of Iberia.        

As a holiday event, many included tourist activities in their trip, including sightseeing Roman Villas and local wine tasting.