Ski Orienteering will be in great company in the coming days when the discipline is part of the FISU Winter World University Games, taking place in and around Turin, Italy.
More than 2,000 athletes from 54 nations are participating in the games, which feature 11 different winter sports disciplines. Ski Orienteering was previously part of the program in 2019 and has since been added as a compulsory sport.
On Sunday afternoon, the first SkiO-discipline will be a sprint for men and women and on Tuesday afternoon, it’s time for the mixed sprint relay. The competitions will be held from the Pragelato ski area, which is located west of Turin and hosted the cross-country skiing competitions at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
62 athletes from 15 different nations have entered the Ski Orienteering competitions. Among them, many have barely had time to take off their skis after last weekend’s World Cup competitions in Norway.
That includes Jonatan Ståhl (SWE), who tied for the win in Friday’s World Cup sprint, Niklas Ekström (FIN), who became U23 Sprint World Champion in sprint, and Teodor Mo Hjelseth (NOR), who leads the U23 World Cup after the first three races.
The women’s start list includes Amanda Yli Futka (FIN), who showed great form by winning the U23 gold medals in Norway, and her compatriot Maria Hoskari, who is second in the U23 World Cup.
Maria Hoskari during Friday’s World Cup Sprint in Sjusjøen, Norway. Photo: Terje W. Pettersen
FISU’s Winter World University Games are open to athletes who are active students or graduated in 2024, and are between 18 and 25 years old at any point in 2025.
Both competitions will be broadcast for free on FISU’s own TV channel FISU.TV
Find links for GPS-tracking, live results and FISU.TV in Eventor
Ski Orienteering at FISU 2025 Winter World University Games:
All times CET (UTC+1)
Sunday, January 19
14:00 Men’s sprint
15:00 Women’s sprint
Tuesday, January 21
14:30 Mixed Sprint Relay