The final preparations are well under way ahead of this year's Jan Kjellström
International Festival of Orienteering 2024!
The teams will be out over the next couple of days setting up the arenas ready to receive you for a cracking good weekend of top-quality orienteering.
The weather gods have been less than kind, so we recommend you put on your best O shoes that give you the best grip.
Please note that version 6 of the programme is the latest (and hopefully last) version to be published. It went live yesterday, so please check it out, especially if you are coming in a campervan on Day 4 as the parking instructions have been changed.
Please note that the embargo area for Day 1 has been reduced.
Loughborough is now an established, and still testing, area. Day 1 will be a World Ranking event (WRE).
PreO will take place in urban terrain and there will also be an opportunity for participants to try out Biathlon Orienteering at the event (this will also be available on Days 2 and 3 of the Festival).
Beaudesert has been used for many major events, though arena is a new location and the owners are a little nervous at what to expect. Please make this an enjoyable experience for them. We want them to invite us back!
The final day of the Festival will take place at Stanton Moor. Another testing area and also in a new arena.
If you are on social media, please do not forget to tag us in your posts via Facebook, X and Instagram @britishorienteering. The hashtag for the event is #TheJK2024.
Finally, thank you to everyone involved in the production of this event. We hope you have a great weekend!
The embargo area for Day 1 of the JK has been reduced.
The updated embargoed area can be viewed here.
An area of the South West has been removed which contains the Burleigh Court hotel. However, anyone staying there involved in the JK should drive out to the main road and re-enter the campus through the Epinal Way entrance to get to the event.
They should of course avoid entering the embargoed area at all times.
All the latest information about this weekends JK can be found on the JK website.
If you are interested in representing GBR, please read on!
The Foot O selection policies have been updated. Now included are the availability forms for athletes, which you should use to to declare your interest in being selected for GBR teams at international competitions this summer.
More details can be found here: www.britishorienteering.org.uk/Selection
Note that the process to select the World University Orienteering Championships (WUOC) team is different to the others, with different deadlines, so please read that part of the policy carefully if you are interested in racing for GBR at WUOC.
This weekend Bristol Orienteering Klub hosted the British Schools Orienteering Championships in the Forest of Dean.
The weekend starting on Saturday 18 November with the British Schools Orienteering Championships Weekend at the Training Activity Centre, Russell's Enclosure / Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean.
Sunday 19 November saw the British Schools Orienteering Championships 2017 take place at New Beechenhurst also in the Forest of Dean.
Supported by the British Schools Orienteering Association and attended by youngsters from all over Britain, the event started with a rather soggy training day on Saturday at Cannop Ponds and continued on Sunday with the championship race at New Beechenhurst, right next to the Sculpture and Gruffalo Trail and Go Ape Junior.
More than 450 students came to compete in forest terrain, many with parents, other family members and even their dogs in tow to support them and enjoy being in this beautiful part of the forest. It was a very cold start, but somehow, the organisers not only managed to pull off a very smoothly run event, they also managed to arrange for the sun to shine!
A very friendly, supportive and competitive atmosphere all centred around the assembly and run in finish line resulted in only 1 point separating the top two Large Secondary Schools. Cockermouth School won with 17 points, Ulverston Victoria High School were second with 18 points and Torquay Boys Grammar School in third with 33 points. While Sir John Deane’s College won the Tertiary Trophy.
Hunters Bar Juniors won the Primary School Competition; Newcomer Tormead School won the Small Secondary Schools Competition convincingly whilst St Andrews School, Pangbourne won the Middle/Prep Competition 2017.
Fast and furious running by some of the most competitve juniors determined to do their best, mixed with a rather muddy final control provided some very impressive slides to the finish line!
A very entertaining and enjoyable day for everyone who attended, and no doubt, some of the individual results will highlight some upcoming orienteering stars of the future.
Thank you to Megan Carter-Davies from the University of Bristol Orienteering Club for joining us to present the prizes.
British Schools Orienteering Association, said: "We were delighted to see so many children thoroughly enjoying the testing courses in the Forest of Dean on such a lovely sunny day. Many thanks to all the volunteers that made this event possible. We look forward to seeing you all next year at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan."
Thank you to all those from Bristol Orienteering Klub and British Schools Orienteering Association who volunteered their time and effort.
Saturday 13 October 2018:
British Schools Score Championships, Moors Valley Country Park, Ringwood.
Saturday 17 November 2018:
World Schools England Team selection race and training event, Tockholes, Burnley.
Sunday 18 November 2018:
British Schools Orienteering Championships, Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan.