British Orienteering is proud to reaffirm our commitment to clean sport
by backing UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) Clean Sport Week campaign from 13 - 17 May.

Clean Sport Week is UKAD’s national awareness week championing clean sport,
education and anti-doping initiatives with sports across the UK.

This year’s Clean Sport Week theme is “Journey to the Podium”. Throughout the
week, UKAD will be showcasing the importance of the clean sport journey through the
lens of athletes and the elite sport community. Anti-doping should be a key part of
every athlete and support personnel’s journey – it should never be an afterthought.

Clean sport is an essential part of our athletes’ journeys to the podium / in professional
sport. It takes a lifetime of work, commitment and a network of support to help athletes
perform at the very top. This effort can be taken away in a moment by doping.
Creating a culture of clean sport is essential for the health and welfare of our athletes
and the integrity of Orienteering.

We all have a responsibility to keep sport clean, to raise awareness of anti-doping and
to celebrate the successes of athletes - through hard work, determination and by
competing clean.

We encourage anyone in our sporting community that would like to learn more about
anti-doping to sign up to UKAD’s Clean Sport Hub where there are free education
courses for athletes, students, coaches and practitioners.

Follow @ukantidoping on social media to see a range of educational and exciting
content throughout the week. To find out more about UKAD’s Clean Sport Week
initiative click here.

For anyone who works in sport, don’t miss UKAD’s Clean Sport Week event on
Tuesday 14 March, taking place on the Loughborough University campus. The event
will focus on the para-athlete’s journey to the podium. You can register your interest in
attending here.

British Orienteering is delighted to announce the GBR team selected to race at the World University Orienteering Championships.

The World University Orienteering Championships (WUOC) are held every two years, with the 2024 GBR team competing in Bankso, Bulgaria from 1 to 5 August.

British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) selects and enters the team, working in partnership with British Orienteering. The team announcement can be found on the BUCS website.

Women's Team:

Rachel Brown (University of Edinburgh)

Fiona Bunn (University of Edinburgh)

Eilidh Campbell (University of Edinburgh)

Isobel Howard (University of Edinburgh)

Niamh Hunter (University of Edinburgh)

Laura King (Uppsala University)

Men's Team:

Jim Bailey (University of Edinburgh)

David Bunn (University of Edinburgh)

Euan Tryner (University of Edinburgh)

Peter Molloy (University of Cambridge)

Freddie Carcas (Boise State University)

Eddie Narbett (Bradley University)

The Sprint World Orienteering Championships 2024 (WOC 2024), which will take place in Edinburgh from 12-16 July 2024, is delighted to announce Heart Research UK’s Heart of Scotland Appeal as the Official Charity Partner of the event.

The Heart of Scotland Appeal works towards research and community projects in Scotland aimed at reducing the number of people affected by heart diseases. Currently 48 people a day die from cardiovascular disease in Scotland.

The partnership with WOC 2024 aims to raise awareness of the risks of heart diseases amongst the orienteering community, promoting heart health through exercise. The partnership will also help raise funds and awareness for the Heart of Scotland appeal, with all money raised distributed to research projects across Scotland.

The partnership will also be looking to explore opportunities for people to fundraise and take part in the WOC Tour – the amateur races running during WOC 2024. Additionally, various social media collaborations and storytelling activities will help raise awareness of the great work the charity do, in the build up to and during the World Championships in July.

“Heart Research UK’s Heart of Scotland Appeal are delighted to be the official charity partner of the World Orienteering Championships 2024 in Edinburgh. Heart diseases are unfortunately prevalent in Scotland; however, we know that orienteering is a great form of cardiovascular exercise that works out both your heart and your mind,” said Mary Campbell, Director of Income Generation at Heart Research UK.

“Getting outside and trying orienteering, whether in the Scottish countryside or your local town or city, can really benefit both your aerobic and anaerobic fitness, both of which are key to increasing your heart’s strength, reducing your blood pressure, and resting heart rate. We are dedicated to doing all we can to raise awareness of the impact of heart diseases on families up and down the country. The money raised through this partnership will be spent right here in Scotland on lifesaving medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart diseases.”

WOC 2024 Event Director Andy Mitchelmore said of the partnership: “Orienteering is a great form of exercise for all ages and the perfect sport for helping heart health. This is why we felt that a partnership with Heart Research UK’s Heart of Scotland Appeal was such a great fit with WOC 2024 and why we are delighted to have them on board as our Official Charity Partner.”

“We hope we can work together to raise awareness about the work they do in Scotland and help raise funds to support their projects across Scotland. We know the orienteering community will get behind the charity and in July Edinburgh will welcome the orienteering community from around the world, whilst at the same time raising funds for this fantastic cause.”

WOC 2024 is organised by Scottish 6 Days Orienteering in conjunction with Scottish Orienteering, British Orienteering and the International Orienteering Federation, with primary event partners EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, and The City of Edinburgh Council.

To find out more about WOC 2024 visit the official website. Sign up to the WOC Tour here, and for Heart Research UK’s Heart of Scotland Appeal visit their website.

We caught up with Andy Yeates at Day 1 of JK 2024 and after the event to chat about the planning process for this year’s event, how the team overcame obstacles and what his highlights were from the weekend!

How did you find the overall planning process of JK 2024?

Happily, the overall planning process came together fairly easily. Once we had the areas sorted out, it became clear that a single organiser, planner and controller for the two Beaudesert days would work best. Fortunately, the people I approached to take it on were agreeable. LEI were happy to take on Day 1 and DVO were happy to take on Day 4. Then it was a case of sorting out which clubs would take on significant roles for Days 2 and 3 alongside WCH. With OD and HOC out of the question as they were heavily involved in the British Sprints, we worked together with WRE and POTOC.

There was a shift of assembly area/car parks for Days 2, 3 and 4 from our preferred first choice. The Activity Centre on Beaudesert did not want us to cross their new fences in any way, so that made it too difficult to plan to get in and out of the Centre. The Stanton Moor field we wanted was being sown for crop, so the landowner didn’t want us in there. Fortunately, we found alternatives, both new sites.

Can you give us an overview of how each day unfolded from your perspective?

I felt a great expectation for the weekend. When you have lived with the event for 2-3 years, the weekend itself flies past very quickly and I tend to flit around the various sections making sure there is nothing wrong. The only problem with Day 1 was the failure of the remote microphone and having to carry the speakers across the grass towards the prize giving. The organisational team were magnificent.

I was really worried about the parking situation on Days 2 and 3, and not just because of the last-minute road closure. If it rained on Day 2 especially, then we could have been in trouble despite the 750m of track matting. However, the sun came out, the ground slowly dried up and the Day 2 team carried on the benchmark set by Day 1.

Day 3 started foggy, but most importantly, no rain. I had to remind myself to stop and look around during the day to soak in the atmosphere and see people enjoying themselves. The JK is truly a special event.

Finally, Day 4 arrived and so did the rain. This didn’t put any dampeners on the event, and it all went like clockwork. I was relieved and very proud of what the teams of volunteers had achieved – a thoroughly professional job.

Was there anything that you would do differently looking back?

Not really. I had coordinated two previous JK’s – 2018, and 2022 – so I mostly knew what to expect. Maybe delegated a bit more.

Are there any recommendations you would give to those who are looking to plan future major events?

I act as the major events consultant, and I am available to assist as much or as little as you want. If you want advice, just ask.

What were your highlights from the weekend?

Seeing how well everything worked on each day. There were issues that needed sorting out, but the teams rose to the challenge without any fuss.

Finding out that the landowners were very happy with the way orienteers behaved on their land was also a huge bonus to help maintain that relationship for future events. So, I thank the teams of volunteers for all their hard work, and the competitors for making it the best experience we could wish for. I especially appreciate the notes of thanks received from so many of you. Thank you all.