NZOF has applied to the IOF to run the second "World Marathon Orienteering Trophy" event. This would be the same event as the World Rogaining Championships, scheduled for 15-16 Jan, 2000.
While Rogaining has its own international body, it has only made a significant impression in Australia, New Zealand, North America and the Czech Republic. The International Orienteering Federation has 51 member nations, and wants to develop competitions in long form of orienteering, but its working group based in Europe only knows the mountain marathon format.
New Zealand rogainers decided several years ago that they wanted to operate as part of orienteering; both sports are relatively small and the similarities are large. And the NZ Orienteering Federation wants international rogaining (and mountain marathons which have also been popular here) to be organised under the IOF umbrella.
So when the IOF announced a "World Trophy" competition in "Marathon Orienteering", with the 1999 event a mountain marathon in France (May 22-23), that provided a golden opportunity to stake a claim for rogaining as the 2000 event.
NZOF believes that the Marathon Orienteering Trophy can and should alternate between a mountain marathon and a rogaine, recognising that both formats have their own character and skill requirements. The World Mountain Running Championships alternates between two formats in a similar way, one year being an uphill race, and the next and up-and-down.
The IOF Marathon Working Group will meet in France in May to decide.
The group includes Australian Rogaining Assn President Peter Taylor,
who will be attending.