Welcome to the World Orienteering Championships 2012

WOC 2012

On behalf of our WOC 2012 committee we extend to all participants a very warm welcome to the 2012 World Orienteering Championships. The committee is delighted to once again stage the World Championships, this time in cooperation with the host-city Lausanne in western Switzerland.

We are committed to the development and continuous success of the sport of orienteering. Together with Lausanne, the world’s sports capital, we therefore intend to organise a very compact championships week with short distances to all events while still challenging the athlete with widely varying terrain. Our aim is to demonstrate to the international sports organisations affiliated in Lausanne that orienteering is a modern sport involving excitement, emotion and action but is still at one with nature. The short distances – three out of four finals are within 10 km of the International Olympic Committee headquarters – allow a very environmentally friendly transportation concept. The short distances also allow the athletes to focus on the competitions instead of the accompanying logistics. The media will be able to work under optimum conditions due to the proximity of all arenas to the splendid facilities offered by Lausanne.

In 2012, Switzerland will welcome the world’s best orienteers. We are convinced that the combination of the sprint races in the urban areas of Lausanne, the long distance and relay races in typical continental terrain and the challenge of the middle distance races in demanding Jura-terrain with karstic features and semi-open forest will test all your orienteering skills. The WOC 2012 committee is working hard to organise a memorable high quality championships week for you. A week that will certainly be clearly visible on the world sporting stage 2012, surrounded by important sport events such as the European football championships prior to, and the Olympic Games after, the WOC in Lausanne.

While present in our country for the WOC 2012 preparation, enjoy the rich offering of nearby tourist landmarks. Lausanne and its surroundings are an ideal place to combine sport and leisure. We wish every participant good luck and personally rewarding performances.

World Orienteering Championships 2012