The first ever public orienteering competition was held in Norway in 1897. Since then, orienteering has developed into a modern, high-technology sport practised by more than one million people in countries all over the world on five continents.

Orienteering is a sport where athletes use map and compass to navigate their way through the terrain in order to find the control points, which form the pre-set course. The map gives detailed information on the terrain, such as hills, ground surface, and obstacles. There is no marked route in the terrain - the athletes must choose their own route between the control points. In orienteering, the clock is the judge: fastest time wins.

Orienteering demands the advanced skill of being able to read a detailed map and choose the best route over complex terrain while moving at high speed. The course is designed to test both the orienteer's physical strength and their navigation skills. Electronic equipment verifies that the athlete has visited all control points in the right order.

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