Competition Dates 7-11 October 2002
Venue Information
Orienteering will take place around the regional City of Greater Bendigo, a picturesque one and a half hour drive from Melbourne. The Orienteering Event Centre will be located at Bendigo's Old Town Hall.
Qualification races for WMOC will be staged 50km south of Bendigo at Glenluce near Castlemaine and the final will be staged 50km north west of Bendigo in the Kooyoora State Park, scene of the 1985 World Orienteering Championships. The venues provide some of the most spectacular and enjoyable orienteering terrain in the world.
Daytime temperatures around Bendigo in early October are likely to be in the range 15-20oC, with plenty of sunshine. However, other weather conditions are possible, bringing temperatures several degrees lower or higher than this range.
Kooyoora State Park
Kooyoora, venue for the WMOC Final, retains all the magic that entranced competitors at the 1985 World Championships. We hope to welcome again in 2002 many who ran then. They will find the complex rock features little changed (though more easily seen on a 1:10,000 map!), but much of the vegetation has gone through a natural cycle of decay and re-growth during the intervening years.
Glenluce
Venue for WMOC's qualifying races, Glenluce presents a different set of technical challenges. Most of the forest is open and easy to move through, but the complicated gully/spur terrain offers ample scope for the feet to move faster than the brain. Pockets of old gold workings, which require close attention to map detail, complement the other challenges.
Competition Details
For the first time the World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) will be staged as part of the World Masters Games and orienteers from all nations are invited to compete in the biggest multi-sport games on earth.
The Victorian Orienteering Association (VOA) is staging the World Masters Orienteering Championship on behalf of the Games organisers, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and the Orienteering Federation of Australia (OFA).
Age Categories* - WMG and WMOC
Men / Women 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90+
*Age determined at 31 December 2002
Accreditation at the Melbourne Games Centre
All competitors in the Melbourne 2002 World Masters Games are required to register and complete accreditation at the Games Centre in Melbourne - on the corner of Flinders Street and Spencer Street. The most convenient time for orienteers to complete registration is prior to attending the Games Opening Ceremony on Sunday 6 October. Free train transport will be available between Bendigo and Melbourne to help you register and enjoy the Opening Ceremony.
Bendigo Social Activities
Bendigo will host its own country-style social program for orienteers starting with a special welcome party and street march on Monday 7 October. Don't miss these fantastic social opportunities to experience some genuine 'bush-style' hospitality.In particular, a WMOC Dinner will be an occasion to remember and will be held on Wednesday October 9. For WMOC Dinner bookings and more information on Bendigo social activities please visit the Orienteering Victoria website
click here
