IOF Press release

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"PRESS RELEASE
30th November 2000

IOF Priority Projects in 2001:
WORLD GAMES AND ELITE EVENTS PROGRAMME
The World Games and the Elite Events Programme are the priority activities of the IOF in the year 2001. Because of the recently signed accord between the International Olympic Committee and the World Games, the profile of the Games will now substantially increase and it is of utmost importance to secure the all-round success of the orienteering events included in the Games. Equally, the Elite Events Programme project is one of the biggest challenges ever for orienteering and the IOF, and the results of this project will have far-reaching impact on the future development of orienteering and its appearance on the world sports scene. At its recent meeting held in Helsinki, Finland, the IOF Council therefore decided to allocate substantial funds out of the available resources to these two projects.
Significant achievement for orienteering
”In my view, this is a significant achievement for the Olympic campaign launched by the IOF Congress in Portugal in 1998”, says the IOF President Sue Harvey. ”Because of the recent accord between the IOC and the World Games there will be a gradual increase in the amount of resources coming from the IOC to the World Games sports. National Olympic Committees are already being encouraged by the IOC President Mr. Samaranch to treat World Games sports in a similar way as Olympic Games sports. It will take a while for this new situation to filter through the layers of the Olympic Movement, but the inclusion of the World Games as a major official part of the Olympic structure means that orienteering is now effectively in the Olympics”, Sue Harvey continues.
”It is up to the World Games organisers in Akita to deliver a good Games, and it is up to us orienteers to ensure that our bit of the Games is good. That is why Council has decided to give high priority to this event and to allocate a considerable amount of human and financial resources to secure the quality of this event. It is my sincere hope that we will have the world’s best orienteers taking part in the Games. There are some very important medals to be run for in Akita next year, Sue Harvey concludes.
The key to success: high quality world events
Earlier this year, the IOF Congress endorsed a proposal for development of the elite events programme and adopted the so called Leibnitz Convention about media and spectator friendly events. Additionally, the Congress decided that a World Championship in sprint orienteering be introduced, that it shall be organised every second year and, if technically possibly, it should start already in 2001.
”The IOF must organise attractive world events of high quality for elite athletes, officials, media, spectators, sponsors, and external partners”, says Sue Harvey. ”Earlier this autumn Council appointed a working group with the main mission of setting the standards for IOF elite events in the long term perspective. The tasks of the group include, amongst other things, to develop a layered base programme, to define the discipline formats, to develop a programme for the World Orienteering Championships and the World Cup and to develop a media friendly event concept. A detailed proposal shall be presented to the national federations at the Presidents’ Conference to be held in conjunction with the World Orienteering Championships in Tampere, Finland, in August 2001. In view of our Olympic ambitions we need to make a determined effort to achieve the best possible result. Whilst awaiting the decision of the Presidents’ Conference, and as an interim solution, a sprint race has been included in the programme of the World Orienteering Championships in Finland.”