The 2024 World Masters Orienteering Championships have attracted more than 4,200 competitors to the south-west corner of Finland, where the competitions begin on Saturday with the sprint qualification race.
42 nations are represented at the championships, where world masters champions will be crowned in 25 classes from W/M 35 up to W95 and M90.
The sprint competitions will both be run in central Turku and plans have been made for a great finale on Sunday with the arena at Turku Cathedral in the city center.
On Tuesday it is time for the forest qualification, which, like Wednesday’s middle distance final, will be run east of Turku. A moderately hilly terrain awaits here with good runnability, open rock areas and not many paths to navigate by.
Friday’s long distance takes the thousands of WMOC athletes in the direction of the Finnish archipelago to the west, where detailed contours and rock features on the map and another day with moderate elevation differences await.
The history of the World Masters Orienteering Championships began in Finland 41 years ago, when the first edition of the Veteran World Cup, as it was called, was held in Lahti with 1600 participants.
Over the years it developed and was later sanctioned by the IOF to its current form. Finland also hosted the 2007 WMOC in Kuusamo.
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WMOC 2024 race program:
Saturday, August 3
Sprint Qualification
Sunday, August 4
Sprint Final
Tuesday, August 6
Forest Qualification
Wednesday, August 7
Middle distance final
Friday, August 9
Long distance final