The 3rd International Orienteering Coaches Conference took place from 08.-10.08.2023 in Faak am See, Austria. Nine team representatives from AUT/CZE, DEN, FIN, FRA, GBR, HUN, NOR, SUI and SWE organised coaches lessons covering different topics. In total, about 35 people participated in the conference, half of them via online streaming.
The coaches conference offered insights into the federations’ structures, training philosophies, gender issues and much more. It was found that many countries struggle with the drop-out-quote of 18- to 25-year-old athletes, especially of female orienteers.
Furthermore, a vast majority of the coaches report that they would like to increase the personal contact to the athletes, but they lack time resources. Differences between the orienteering federations were revealed in terms of the budget and the number of employees and trainers.
All summaries and reports of the International Orienteering Coaches Conference 2023 can be found on the webpage of the Austrian Orienteering Federation.
For more detailed material / documents (e.g. recordings of the conference, overall documentation, etc.), please contact ausbildung@oefol.at.
The Austrian Orienteering Federations wants to thank all team representatives and the organising committee for their contribution and support.
We are looking forward to another edition of the coaches conference in the future.
Report: Florian Kurz, Austrian Orienteering Federation