The relay of the OL WM 2003 is going to take place at Forch/Pfannenstiel

Media Release No 9

The 20th World Orienteering Championships 2003 will be concluded on the Pfannenstiel hill near Zurich. After intensive investigations conducted within an extremely short time period the organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 has decided to leave the final race of the OL WM 2003, which cannot take place in the Chlosterwald near Jona because of storm damages, in the extended region of Rapperswil/Jona.

The storm on July 16, 2003, in the region of the WM venue Rapperswil/Jona has devastated large parts of the terrain that was intended for the relay in the Chlosterwald in such a manner that a shift became inevitable. Within 13 days the organizers of the OL WM 2003 will try to make the seemingly impossible happen. The shifting of the relay on very short call has only been possible because of the uncomplicated and quick readiness of the five involved communities around the Pfannenstiel and because of the extremely cooperative teamwork with land owners and farmers. Many more detailed arrangements with involved parties have to follow for a successful execution of this WM event. However, the organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 is convinced of its feasibility. Already, the course setters and the mappers have been at work almost around the clock for two days.

Option Trin had to be rejected

The possible alternative to let the relays take place in Trin had to be rejected. Despite the facts that an infrastructure for the finish would have been in place in Trin because of the race over the middle distance on the previous day, and that an extremely demanding terrain and a high-standard map would have been available, the option that the relays would take place in Grisons had to be refrained from. The organizers of the OL WM 2003 did not want to deviate from their concept they always consistently pursued, i.e. to bring orienteering to the people, even in the current emergency situation. Moreover, the effects on the Swiss O Week taking place in parallel would have been serious.

With the execution in the Pfannenstiel area close to the city there is hope for a substantially larger show-up of spectators also from the urban agglomeration of Zurich. Despite the new location the WM relay still remains part of the Night Lake Festival of Rapperswil. The entrance ticket covers the free use of public transportation in the canton of Zurich on the network of the ZVV and therefore also includes Forch, the venue of the relay racket of the OL WM 2003.

In addition, the terrain in Trin would have exhibited completely different characteristics than the areas in the Chlosterwald and Pfannenstiel, respectively. Such a short-term change cannot be expected to be accepted by already selected runners from a sportsmanship point of view.

New access rules for the Pfannenstiel

So far the Pfannenstiel has not been an embargoed area and hence was freely accessible for training. Since 1999, no orienteering meet has taken place in this terrain. Immediately prior to the WM relay at the very same day, however, the last stage of the Swiss O Week, which is a six-day event for hobby runners including some 3200 competitors, will take place. In order to offer fair conditions to all of the 320 WM athletes from a record number of 41 participating nations special directions and access rules will be issued in agreement with the IOF. They can be found in a separate publication on this homepage.

WM organizers receive uncomplicated support

Emergency meetings and consultation sessions have lined up during the last days at high pace. Alternatives have been developed and rejected again. The technical and temporal feasibility from the mapping of a new area and the challenging, forked course setting for a race full of tension to the initial marking of control locations have been examined. Innumerable arguments were sought and weighed out against each other. Dozens of clarifications with authorities, involved volunteer associations, landowners, the International Orienteering Federation IOF or supplying companies had or still have to be made. Thereby it was crucial to find solutions such that the possibility of failure would be minimized.

Within six days the nine members of the organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 have decided and hence were able to start the preparatory operations for the shifting of the team competition. If as such the organization of a successful WM relay without larger difficulties, only 24 days after the unfortunate natural disaster from July 16 in the Chlosterwald near Jona, can be accomplished, then one could attest the organizers a world-champion-like performance as well.

The organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 regrets the decision of having to move the relay out of the Chlosterwald at Jona. It considers the decision taken, however, as the only possibility to save the WM relay competition within the framework of the 20th World Orienteering Championships.

Posted: 2003-07-22 21:02:00