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.
The countdown to the 2019 UK Elite Orienteering League is on, and it is set to be another cracker.
12 rounds over 5 weekends will reveal who are the best all-round orienteers in the country.
Duncan Birtwistle, UK Elite Orienteering League Co-ordinator, says: "Athletes will compete for points across all disciplines with races more evenly spread across the country than previous editions. All the selection races are included and clubs have accommodated the League by planning courses to suit elites’ requirements."
There are categories for MW18s, 20s and Seniors.
Rd |
Date |
Event |
Area |
Club |
Distance |
Juniors |
Seniors |
1 |
Sat 9th March |
Sheffield Urban |
Ponderosa |
SYO |
Sprint |
Sprint |
Sprint |
2 |
Sun 10th March |
Northern Champs |
Wharncliffe Woods |
SYO |
Long |
Long |
Long |
3 |
Sat 23rd March |
Selection Special |
Lancaster University |
BO |
Sprint |
Sprint |
|
4 |
Sat 23rd March |
Lakes Spring Weekend |
Haverthwaite |
LOC |
Middle |
|
MIddle |
5 |
Sun 24th March |
Red Rose Classic |
Hampsfell & Eggerslack |
SROC |
Middle/Long |
Middle |
Long |
6 |
Sat 13th April |
Scottish Spring |
Fife |
MPA |
Middle |
|
Middle |
7 |
Sat 13th April |
Scottish Spring |
Falkland |
MPA |
Sprint |
Sprint |
Sprint |
8 |
Sun 14th April |
Scottish Spring |
Falkland Estate |
MPA |
Long |
Long |
Long |
9 |
Fri 19th April |
JK Festival |
Aldershot Garrison |
SCOA |
Sprint |
Sprint |
Sprint |
10 |
Sat 20th April |
JK Festival |
Windmill Hill |
SCOA |
Middle |
Middle |
Middle |
11 |
Sun 21st April |
JK Festival |
Cold Ash |
SCOA |
Long |
Long |
Long |
F |
Sun 5th May |
British Championships |
Kilnsey & Arncliffe |
YHOA |
Long |
Long |
Long |
Racing starts in Sheffield with a sprint at SYO’s Urban Race on Saturday 9th March. Wharncliffe Woods, a classic area of rock features and forested slopes, is the venue for the Northern Champs the next day, mapped and planned by Oli Johnson.
On Saturday 23rd March Juniors and Seniors are split for rounds 3 and 4. Juniors racing in a specially organised sprint selection race at Lancaster University. Seniors running a technical middle distance on Haverthwaite Heights, scene of past British Championships. All re-group at Hampsfell & Eggerslack Woods on Sunday where Juniors step up to a middle and Seniors to a long.
Scottish Spring has become a regular fixture in the League due to its reliability for high-class orienteering. This year it's the 13/14th April around Falkland with a middle (Senior counter only) and sprint on Saturday followed by a Scottish Orienteering League long on Sunday.
The JK Festival (19-21st April) is the penultimate weekend of the series where all three races count, starting with the sprint at Aldershot Barracks. Focus and map contact will be necessary to succeed in the middle amongst the dense contours and paths of Windmill Hill. Cold Ash, used for JK 2013, hosts the long.
Arncliffe & Kilnsey’s open fell and contour detail will provide a fast finish to the League at the British Championships on 5th May.
Scoring: Best 6 scores from first 9 races for juniors, the best 6 scores from first 10 races for seniors, the final British Champs race to count for all. At least 1 and maximum 3 scores from any one discipline (sprint/middle/long) to count.
Go to ukeliteoleague.org.uk for race information, scoring rules and links to old maps. You can follow @ukeliteoleague on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up-to-date as the season progresses."
The UK Elite Orienteering League aims to be an attractive series for competitors by providing prize money and prizes. 53 different athletes have been supported via the prize fund over the last four seasons and have gone on to compete at World Championships, Junior World Championships and various levels of European competition.
If you are interested in supporting the league, either with a contribution to the cash prize fund, or with clothing, or equipment, please email: ukeliteoleague@gmail.com or visit: ukeliteoleague.org.uk/support where you can donate online. All contributions are greatly received. If you are a sponsor we can promise publicity through articles and social media, at the major races in the UK orienteering calendar, as well as being associated with the elite orienteering scene.