International Rogaining Federation

Newsletter Number 45, September 1998

PO Box 3,
Central Park,
3145, Victoria.
neil.phillips@bigpond.com, 61-3-95721784 fax
President: Neil Phillips

5th World Rogaining Championships

This is a formal call for expressions of interest in staging the 5th World Rogaining Championships. The WRC are the championships of the International Rogaining Federation. The guidelines for staging a World Championships are contained in the IRF Strategic Plan (reprinted below). At least two groups have expressed an interest in 5WRC already, and commenced informal discussions: other expressions of interest are welcome. The 5WRC selection process will follow that of 3WRC and 4WRC, and be staged:
  1. The IRF is now formally calling for any expressions of interest in staging 5WRC in 2001 or 2002 before a short list is finalized at the end of November 1998.
  2. All short listed groups are asked for a one page summary of their bid listing strengths and answering perceived weaknesses. This page should include the track record of the organizing group and any related events that might add value to the particular date by attracting extra participants to the 5WRC. This one page summary should be provided to the IRF by the end of December 1998 for publication in an IRF Newsletter.
  3. After publication of the one page summaries, the IRF will not be organizing any open debate on 5WRC (but is not discouraging such). Every IRF representative is asked to advise and consult their member groups and one another. This might include asking for specific details of either bid from the respective parties.
  4. A simple vote amongst IRF representatives in early 1999 will lead to one group being invited to prepare a more detailed submission (as was done by Kamloops Sage team for 3WRC). The option will be kept open to call for more details from both/all groups if no clear decision can be reached on the information provided.
  5. IRF representatives from the short-listed bidding groups will not have a vote.
  6. As IRF President Neil Phillips is offering his assistance to each/any group to prepare their submissions, similar to his role for 3WRC and 4WRC. He will not exercise his vote except in a tied situation.
  7. A strong bid from any rogaining group will inevitably involve discussions with non-rogaining groups that might include government and other sports. For such discussions to proceed to our mutual benefit, it helps each bidding group to know and be able to say that the IRF is taking their bid seriously. This can be done once bids are short listed.
The Strategic Plan outlines procedures and details of WRC, and explicitly says the WRC should not be held more often than once a year. It has been general policy for the first few World Championships to be initially at four-year, then at two-year intervals, and for the event not to be awarded if there is no suitable bid. As 4WRC is very early in 2000, a world championships in 2001 can be considered.

It is not too early to think about 6WRC, and when and where this might be held.

Although a decision on 6WRC may be a little while off, organizations are welcome to indicate their interest in staging 6WRC if they believe that this will help formulate 5WRC plans.

6. WORLD ROGAINING CHAMPIONSHIPS

As the sport's premier event, the World Rogaining Championship has significant drawing power for international entrants, sponsorship, and elite competition. World Championships are for the benefit of everyone in the sport, for elite and non-elite competitors, for organizers, for administrators, and for the public: they also provide a meeting focus for rogainers.

The IRF has a policy of awarding the World Championships to associations and groups rather than running the Championships themselves. However, the World Rogaining Championships remain the championships of the International Rogaining Federation. The Championships should not be held on a more regular basis than annually. Award of the WRC should be restricted to groups with a track record of organizing major rogaines, who actively want to stage the WRC and can nominate a suitably experienced co-ordinator: if these criteria cannot be met for any particular year, the WRC should not be awarded.

The IRF does not expect extra facilities or activities beyond those normal to championship rogaines run by the particular host association. However, this does not exclude any WRC organizers from going "a little further". The policy is to bring the staging of the WRC within the grasp of all groups who can demonstrate a history of running a series of successful rogaines and who want to stage the WRC.

The focus of a World Rogaining Championship is on:

The first four criteria should be met in any rogaining championship, and be established features of rogaines run previously by a group before the WRC are awarded. Significant departure from normal rogaines is not advocated for a World Rogaining Championship. The last two criteria can be achieved by careful planning of the event date and location taking into account overseas participants and possible back-to-back activities at the time of the World Rogaining Championships. These activities need not be part of the WRC programme, and may be better organized by separate parties, even outside rogaining. The extra publicity to attract overseas and/or elite participants to a WRC should utilize IRF expertise and should target particular interest groups and countries. Organizers are expected to provide a profile to describe rogaining in their area, and may include a model rogaine prior to the championship. The WRC will be run according to the IRF Code and Rules, and departure from these will require specific IRF sanction.

4th World Rogaining Championships

Details: 15-16 January 2000, Christchurch, New Zealand. The World Masters Orienteering Championships is one week earlier.

The 4WRC has been awarded by the International Rogaining Federation to the Peninsula and Plains Orienteers of Christchurch, and the co-ordinator is Stuart Payne. Contact details:
Rogaine2000@hotmail.com or write to Dave Laurie, 13A Bowenvale Ave,
Christchurch 8002, New Zealand. www.chch.school.nz/dhs/rogaine2000.

This continues the practice of the IRF not to run its own rogaines but to link with rogaining and orienteering groups to replicate the successful formula of 3WRC and other major rogaines. The ability of rogaining to enter these alliances with related groups continues a pattern dating back to the foundations of the sport in the mid 1970s such as the early collaboration with the Surrey Thomas Rovers and Melbourne and Monash University clubs. In these alliances, both groups benefit (otherwise they would not be partners) and the co-operation is a real win-win situation that all parties should take pride in.

Promotion-World Rogaining Championships

One outcome of the Maldon Easter 1998 meeting between the International Rogaining Federation and International Orienteering Federation representatives was the idea that IOF could enhance the reputation and status of the World Rogaining Championships. The IRF supported and welcomed this move. Hopefully we will be able to see real benefits of this co-operation leading up to 4WRC and 5WRC.

Neil Phillips

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