Sponsorship adds to World Cup fever
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World orienteering comes to Surrey
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Lee Taylor 28 April 2005
The International Orienteering Federation World Cup 2005 gets underway this weekend with Britain hosting the first in a series of three rounds, buoyed by the announcement earlier in the week that it has bagged a major sponsor.
The Opening Ceremony takes place in Guildford this Friday, preceding the Sprint Qualification. The location moves to Farnborough on Saturday for the Relays, Peaslake on Sunday for the Long Classic, and then Battersea Park for the Sprint Final on Monday.
Leith Hill in Surrey hosts the final event on Tuesday, as competitors gather for the Middle Distance race.
Over 170 international orienteers from 26 countries have entered the GB World Cup so far. Those to look out for from Team GB include Jamie Stevenson in the men’s races, whose overall finish in the 2004 World Cup was 7th, and Heather Munroe, who will feature prominently for the women, hoping to build on her 2004 finish of 10th overall.
The British Orienteering Federation was handed a timely boost ahead of this week’s first round, as it was revealed that it had secured a prime sponsor in the form of the Anglo Irish Bank. The organisers are hoping to create an innovative and memorable event for spectators, which will include a big screen in the race arena showing video footage and instant results, and they believe the added support should help to achieve this.
The BOF also received £100,000 through funding from UK Sport via its World Class Events programme, which supports the bidding and staging costs of major events on home soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers. Orienteering’s profile should be heightened further through the filming of the races, for a programme in the Sport Nation series on Sky Sports.
After Britain, the World Cup moves on to Japan in August for the second round, which will also incorporate the World Championships, with the final round scheduled for Italy in October.
