On January 1st, the Foot Orienteering World Ranking Event concluded triumphantly in Dinghai District, Zhoushan City. Over 1,700 participants, including international elite orienteering athletes, domestic professional orienteering players, and orienteering enthusiasts, joyfully engaged in running, immersing themselves in nature, and appreciating the picturesque scenery of Dinghai, "an ancient city on the sea with thousands of years of history".
According to information received, the event was organized by the International Orienteering Federation, with the Aeronautics, Radio, Orienteering and Model Sports Administrative Center of General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Radio Sports and Orienteering Association, the People's Government of Dinghai District, Zhoushan, and Zhoushan Dinghai Bureau of Culture, Radio, Tourism, and Sports as co-organizers. Support for the event came from Zhoushan Municipal People's Government and Zhejiang Administration of Sports. Focused on the collaborative development of "professional competition + national fitness," the event spanned two days and featured both Elite and Open competition categories. In the Elite category, international participants needed to be ranked within the top 300 globally, while domestic athletes were required to achieve top-10 placements in national age groups or provincial championships. The Donghai Greenway Orienteering Event in Dinghai included a 5-kilometer orienteering, with individual and parent-child categories. The event attracted numerous top orienteering athletes from both domestic and international arenas, competing for honors. Ultimately, on the second day of competition, Tomas Krivda from the Czech Republic secured the Men's Elite title in the short-distance race with a time of 14 minutes and 02 seconds. Yannick Michiels from Belgium claimed the second position with a time of 14 minutes and 30 seconds, and Jonas Hubacek from the Czech Republic earned the third spot with a time of 15 minutes and 10 seconds. In the Women's Elite category for the short-distance race on the second day, Jana Peterova from the Czech Republic clinched the title with a time of 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Liisa Nokelainen from Finland secured the second position with a time of 15 minutes and 12 seconds, while Lone Brochmann from Norway earned the third position with a time of 15 minutes and 17 seconds.
"I am extremely excited to participate in this competition and to have the opportunity to come to China, to the beautiful Dinghai. I have been looking forward to this competition, and the people here are very warm, the scenery is particularly charming – everything is just fantastic for me!" Tomas Krivda from the Czech Republic expressed his enthusiasm after traveling a long way from Europe to Dinghai. The unique island scenery and rich cultural heritage of Dinghai left a profound impression on him.
The World Ranking Event stands as one of the premier series in orienteering, attracting top-level international athletes. After a three-year hiatus, the event has been reintroduced, making its inaugural stop in Dinghai. The launch of the new World Ranking Event (WRE) marks a fresh start for orienteering in China, signifying a vital step in promoting nationwide fitness and achieving the integrated development of orienteering events and public health. It heralds a new era in the development and progress of orienteering in China, contributing to the construction of a sports powerhouse and a healthier nation. The choice of Zhoushan Dinghai as the event venue allows the integration of orienteering with the unique mountain and sea ecological scenery and historical cultural landscapes of Dinghai. Using the landscape as a backdrop for the competition, the event aims to attract tourists, promote local tourism through the competition, and drive the diverse development of ecological tourism and the "sports+" initiative.
This event, in conjunction with Dinghai's unique mountain and sea sports resources, incorporates the scenic attractions and historical culture of Dinghai into the competition routes, showcasing the enchanting marine ecology and coastal landscapes of Dinghai. Specifically choosing Donghai Greenway and Nandong Art Valley as the competition venues, the event utilizes the ecological greenways that boast the "beauty of both mountains and seas, and the cultural richness" and a national 4A-level scenic area boasting natural ecological charm and rural agricultural delights. With these venues serving as carriers, the competition integrates marine culture with orienteering, not only driving the economic and social development of the surrounding regions but also preserving and promoting historical and cultural heritage. It expands the cultural functions and connotations of orienteering, bringing the most beautiful greenway and the most charming rural areas to life and igniting their vitality.
