Athletes to discover southwestern Bulgaria at Bankso 2024 FISU Championship Orienteering

Long a staple of the FISU World University Championship programme, orienteering is next up on the calendar in what has already been an exciting year of university sport.

The Bankso 2024 FISU World University Championship Orienteering will take place in this southwestern Bulgarian town, located at the base of the Pirin mountain from 1-5 August. With skiing and hiking popular activities in the area, this winter and summer destination is set to host the 21^st edition of this FISU Championship.

Since the inaugural event held in 1978 in Jyvaskyla, Finland, the FISU Championship Orienteering has been steadily held every two years, save for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the second time Bulgaria has played host, as Zdravets, 500km from Bankso, held the event back in 2002.

Competition in four disciplines takes place over five days.

• Sprint – women and men will navigate this urban and park area in Bankso on a mix of asphalt roads and fast paths. The women’s distance is 2.9km, with 14 controls. The men see 15 controls over their 3.5km.

• Sprint relay – this mixed event sees teams of two women (3km distance and 15 controls) and two men (3.6 km distance, 17 controls) compete in urban and park area of the nearby town of Razlog

• Middle distance – Hill sides with moderate to steep slopes, including varying vegetation and stones will greet the female and male participants. Women will cover 3.9km with a 210m climb and 16 controls, while the men have 20 controls over a distance of 4.8km and a 260m climb.

• Relay – 1,000m to 1,300m above sea level is where the men’s and women’s relays will take place. Teams of three have each member do a lap of their course, using the same terrain as for the middle distance events. 19 controls, a 180m climb, and 4.0km of distance is the course for each of the women’s relay participants. Men will go slightly longer for each of their 3 legs at 4.9km, along with 23 controls and a 230m climb.

249 athletes from 30 countries will compete in Bankso, representing four continents. Four Asian nations, two from Oceania, 21 from Europe, and the United States as the lone country from North America, will all be in Bulgaria.

The sprint will be the opening event on 1 August at 14:30 EEST and is followed late that afternoon by the opening ceremony. Competition concludes on 5 August with the relays. The event website is the source for additional information and details on scheduling and results for the Bankso 2024 FISU Championship Orienteering.

You can watch all the action from Bulgaria on fisu.tv.

Written by Doug McLean