WMOC 2012 News

„I really like running in the Harz Mountains“

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

„I really like running in the Harz Mountains“

An interview with the double titleholder M 70, Helmut Conrad

Posted by Eike Bruns on February 01, 2012

Only six more months until Germany’s largest orienteering event will take place: the World Masters Orienteering Championships in the Harz Mountains from July 1 – 8.
More than 4.000 participants are expected for this weeklong event, where the senior world champions will be determined in different age groups ranging from 35 to 95 in the disciplines sprint and long-distance.
In one of the most popular age groups local hero and double titleholder Helmut Conrad will also participate. In the last two years the 71 year old runner won gold in both disciplines, sprint and long-distance. Although “coming to the Harz Mountains” doesn’t apply to Conrad who, now living in Bad Schandau and starting for the USV TU Dresden, was born in the nearby town of Quedlinburg. That really heightens his anticipation, as he told us in the following interview:

What do you expect from the Senior World Championships in your home country?

The event will hopefully be really nice and the area we are running in is also beautiful.

As you were born in the Harz Mountains you can be sure of that…

Yes, I have always loved the Harz Mountains, especially around Quedlinburg, where I started orienteering in 1958 for SV Wissenschaft in Quedlinburg but then I went to university in Dresden. But I came back for the German Championships in Bad Harzburg in 2003 and 2011 and I just love running in the Harz Mountains.

Don’t you feel more pressure on you, as you want to be especially good and successful here in your homeground?

The pressure is always there. Of course I always want to reach the rostrum. But there’s always the fear of losing concentration and making a mistake, just before the finishing line. Especially sprint is all about seconds. In Portugal 2008 the sprint competition was introduced to the Senior World Championships – and I ran to a wrong flag and that was it with the title back then…

But now you’re starting off as the defending champion…

Yes, I won both disciplines – M 70 sprint and long-distance – in 2010 in Switzerland as well as 2011 in Hungary.

Where those your most successful events?

Yes, although in the 1970s I once participated in a large orienteering event in the Fläming area between Dessau and Potsdam and was better than a very good Swede – so everybody talked about that in Sweden. But when I was able to start in Sweden in 1990 unfortunately that was different again…

By the way: Sweden is still the stronghold of orienteering. Will the largest competitors therefore be from Sweden this year?

I think the Swiss will be stronger in my age group. Last year a Swiss participant got really close to me.

And you were also able to make comparisons over the years, weren’ t you?

Yes, as long as the venue wasn’t overseas I attended almost every Senior World Championship since 1990.

We will host the senior world championships here in Germany this year. What can you recommend other runners, both professional and hobby orienteers, and spectators?

I definitely recommend participating in this huge event in the Harz Mountains this year. I have heard lots of good things about this championship and I am sure that it will be a highly successful event for everyone.

Large number of participants expected

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Large number of participants expected

Posted by Eike Bruns on December 13, 2011

This fact surprised even the organizers: the World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) in the Harz Mountains in summer 2012 is set to become a highly successful event with a large number of participants.

The organising committee is hoping for 4000 participants. This dream might become true as the first wave of entries until December 2011 has so far led to 3100 participants for the Championships from July 1 – 8 2012. A simple comparison shows: the WMOC 2006 in Wiener Neustadt was a successful event with 4089 participants. Back then the organising committee reported 2500 entries up to December 2005.

After this excellent start the organising committee (OK) even hopes to reach the magic number of 4200 participants, comparable to the WMOC 2007 in Finland or 2010 in Switzerland, both best-attented. The president of the OK, André Kwiatkowski says self-confident: “We can reach the threshold of 4000 participants.”

Entries have so far been submitted by participants from 39 countries from New Zealand to Brazil and Russia, with most participants coming from Finland where to date 500 people have signed up. The best-attented category is M65 with 350 entries so far. The oldest participant will turn 91 next year. It already looks like the WMOC 2012 will be a large and successful event.

Photo: The organising committee is hoping for a large number of participants for the WMOC 2012 in the Harz Mountains. The pre-WMOC (German Championships) in 2011 was well attended.

IOF-map commission carefully examines WMOC-maps

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

IOF-map commission carefully examines WMOC-maps

Posted by Eike Bruns on December 10, 2011

With the Czech Ales Hejna a member of the map commission of the International Orienteering Federation IOF visited the Harz Mountains where next year’s WMOC will take place. Hejna particularly examined the interpretation of contours and rocks. The participants will come across many rock formations in the competition area, especially during the long-distance qualification (LQ1) and the long-distance final (LF).

The visit was set up at the request of British Senior Event Advisor David May who wanted to make sure that the participants can adjust themselves to a uniform map interpretation. Because the competition areas of LQ1 and LF offer different rock formations and were surveyed by different mappers May wanted the opinion of an expert who takes a closer look at the competition area and the maps.
Hejna confirmed that the organizers are well on their way. “I really like the competition area”, the 33-year old said and also checked out the sprint maps. He also acknowledged the good work of the mappers Stephan Schliebener and Thilo Bruns. Only the laser scanning data has to be added into the maps for the LQ1 area so the interpretation is more detailed especially with the difficult contours. This data has only been accessible for a short time.
Of Pilsen-origin, Hejna started mapping when he was 16. Although he is an economist he works as a professional mapper and is a member of the IOF-map commission with seven members on the panel.

Photo: Ales Hejna, member of the IOF map commission (left) and mapper Stephan Schliebener check out the rocks in the competition are for the long distance final.

A successful start into the crucial phase

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A successful start into the crucial phase

Posted by Eike Bruns on November 24, 2011

The organizing committee (OC) of the Senior World Championships in orienteering (WMOC) 2012 hosted a festive event in Bad Harzburg’s castle Bündheimer Schloss to kick off the crucial phase of the project. Invited were political, administrative, business, sports and press representatives and especially all volunteers.

It was an informal meeting between sponsors and decision-makers, between the people working in the background in order to set up a successful event 2012 and the official supporters. In his speech OC-president André Kwiatkowski radiated optimism: more than 2500 participants from 39 countries from New Zealand to Canada and from Brasil to Finland have already signed up for the WMOC 2012. This number was reached eight months before the kick-off, making the goal of 4000 participants seem not too far away.

Kwiatkowski stressed the inclusive character of the WMOC 2012. “The keyword is unity. Culture, nature and sports unite”, he introduced the motto of the event . “The Senior World Championships in orienteering 2012 in the Harz mountains unite. They unite young and old. They unite all political, administrative and forestry-related decision-makers in the Harz mountains. They unite cultural initiatives and sports clubs of the region. And they also unite regional and superregional sponsors”, Kwiatkowski said.
The OK-president paid particular attention to the venues Bad Harzburg, Goslar, Clausthal-Zellerfeld and Drei-Annen-Hohne. “With these four venues”, Kwiatkowski said, “the WMOC 2012 connects not only villages, municipalities, cities and counties but even two states. If the prime minister of Sachsen-Anhalt Dr. Rainer Haseloff follows the example of his colleague in Niedersachsen, David McAllister, and also becomes patron of the event, the WMOC 2012 even connects two state prime ministers who just last week decided to market the Harz mountains together anyway.”

With participants from professional and popular sport teams the WMOC also combines sport and tourism, the latter being an important part of the event as it is set in a culturally highly valuable cultural region. “And after all the WMOC 2012 connects people”, finished the OK-president. His speech was followed by a short introduction of orienteering in general and the WMOC 2012 in particular given by OK-vice president Eike Bruns.

Photos

(by Eleonore Pohl and Werner Beckmann/Goslarsche Zeitung)

First entry deadline extended

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

First entry deadline extended

Posted by Tim Schröder on October 31, 2011

In regard to the large number of entries for the WMOC 2012 the first entry deadline will be extended for 3 days to 3 November 2011. This way everyone still has the opportunity to sign up to the event for a reduced fee. Payments can even be received until the end of November.

With this extension the organizers react to the heavy traffic on the site due to the large number of people who signed up during the last days and weeks. More than 2000 participants already signed up for next year’s orienteering event. Because the payments have to be registered manually it takes some time to process them and make them visible in the online entry system. This way everone will be able to check his/her payment until November 30, 2011. All entries made until 3 November 2011 must therefore be paid before 30 November 2011, otherwise they are not valid.

Entries not done online but via other means will be transferred into the entry system by the end of this week.

WMOC 2012 was "on air"

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

WMOC 2012 was “on air”

Posted by Eike Bruns on October 20, 2011

What really are Senior World Championships in orienteering? What is orienteering? What is happening in July 2012 in the Harz mountains? Questions that were answered for more than 100.000 listeners in Northern Germany.

During its live broadcast from Bad Harzburg the radio station NDR 2 interviewed the vice president of the WMOC-organising committee, Eike Bruns, who is also responsible for public relations. The station’s presenters Ilka Petersen, Holger Ponik and Jens Mahrhold had all sorts of questions: is orienteering like a scavenger hunt? Do all participants reach the finishing area? Are they running one after another? With his answers Eike Bruns tried to raise awareness for this not very common sport and at the same time promoted the WMOC as a highlight in 2012.

Senior Event Adviser David May visits the Harz Mountains once again

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Senior Event Adviser David May visits the Harz Mountains once again

Posted by Eike Bruns on September 25, 2011

David May, Senior Event Adviser of the IOF for the WMOC 2012, visited the area of next year’s world championship yet another time. With not even a year to go until the WMOC 2012 starts he focused on the first draft of the maps of the competition areas and a representative choice of courses.

His overall-impression was positive. Now the details have to be worked out. Which objects should not be mapped on the sprint map for clarity reasons? Do more rocks have to be mapped in the challenging rock areas of the Harz Mountains or rather not? Are the test courses too short? Or maybe too long? All these questions have to be answered by the organizing committee until David May’s next visit in October when the Senior Event Adviser returns for the German Championships which are a final test or a kind of “dress rehearsal” for the WMOC 2012.

WMOC 2012 office in Bad Harzburg is now staffed

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

WMOC 2012 office in Bad Harzburg is now staffed

Posted by Eike Bruns on September 25, 2011

After the organising committee of the WMOC 2012 was provided with an office close to Bad Harzburg’s tourist information, Resi Rathmann started working there in the framework of her one year voluntary social service in sports.

From now on she is the manager of the WMOC 2012 office and is your competent contact partner for any questions you might have. You can reach her by mail at info@wmoc2012.de, by phone at +49 5322 5535873 or by using the following mail address: WMOC 2012 Geschäftsstelle, Nordhäuser Straße 4, D-38667 Bad Harzburg.
Opening times of the office are Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to noon.

IOF-flag arrived in Germany

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

IOF-flag arrived in Germany

Posted by Eike Bruns on July 20, 2011

Less than a year until the largest orienteering event in Germany, the WMOC 2012, begins. The most visible sign being the flag of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) which was handed over from this year’s host in Hungary to the next and has reached its final destination: the Harz Mountains around Bad Harzburg, where the Senior World Championships 2012 will be held.

Bad Harzburg’s mayor Ralf Abrahms and Bernd Vollrodt, CEO of the city’s tourism and marketing office KTW presented the flag on the balcony of the city hall together with Eike Bruns, Vice President of the WMOC-organising committee. Both – the city on an administrative and political level and the KTW – supported the idea of hosting the WMOC in Bad Harzburg and the Harz Mountains from the very beginning. All the more it was a great pleasure for the city when Bad Harzburg’s bid was accepted in November 2009.
Abrahms and Vollrodt emphasized just that upon the flag’s arrival which symbolizes the start of the crucial phase. At the same time they thanked the organising committee for their efforts to attract the WMOC 2012 to Bad Harzburg and surroundings because the region will gain a large economic profit from the expected 3000 – 4000 participants from all over the world.

End of Senior World Championships 2011 in Hungary - IOF-flag on its way to Germany

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

End of Senior World Championships 2011 in Hungary – IOF-flag on its way to Germany

Posted by Eike Bruns on July 10, 2011

Last Friday this year’s Senior World Championships in orienteering in Pécs/Hungary ended. To mark the end of this successful event the flag of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was handed over to next year’s organisers and is now on its way to Germany where the Senior World Championships will take place in the Harz Mountains around Bad Harzburg from July 1 – 8, 2012.

Now it is up to the organising committee to accomplish a similar event this successful in 2012. Enquiries in Hungary were numerous and many questions were asked and answered so the organisers are expecting a fairly high number of participants. At the venue in Pécs an on-site entry-service for participants from East-European Countries was set up for next year´s WMOC – the result being more than 70 entries before the official online entry system even started