The Countdown To Europe ~ Intro to WUOC!

As you are hopefully aware, our Canadian athletes are now gearing up to go to Europe for the world championships! This year the 3 big championships are back to back ~ the World University Championships (WUOC) run from July 2-7, the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) run from July 7-13, and the World Orienteering Championships run from July 14-21. Canada is sending a strong team of athletes to each of these events.

To ensure that you're as excited as we are about these championships, and to keep you informed of all the inside gossip, the High Performance Committee's (HPC's) communications team will be bringing you more information than you ever wanted to know! Tune in to this blog where you'll find pre-race coverage, terrain analysis, goals and thoughts of the runners, along with all the links you'll need to watch the race live online! There will also be post-race coverage with analysis, athletes thoughts, maps, results and splits, photos, and so much more! So make sure you stay tuned and read up on all the events. And, of course, your comments are always welcome, as we support and cheer on our Canadian athletes!

Today's post is an introduction to the WUOC! This is the 18th time WUOC has been held, and unlike WOC and JWOC, WUOC is only held every 2 years. Athletes must be between 17 and 28 years old, and must be either working towards a degree or diploma, or have graduated in 2011. This year, athletes will travel to Alicante, Spain for 4 days of exciting races!


View Larger Map - Alicante is on the south east corner of Spain!

Each country may send a team of 12 competitors (6 men and 6 women). For the sprint, middle, and long distance races, 4 runners from each country are able to participate. For the relay, countries can enter 2 teams of 3 runners, although the team with the best result is the one that will count in the official results.

This year, Canada is sending 5 men and 1 woman to WUOC. We're also very lucky to have ex-Canadian team member Pam James escorting as team leader. Below is the list of competitors, along with who is running which race:

Sprint (July 4): Damian Konotopetz, Jeff Teutsch, Robbie Anderson, Will Critchley, Louise Oram

Middle (July 5): Damian Konotopetz, Eric Kemp, Jeff Teutsch, Robbie Anderson, Louise Oram

Long (July 3): Damian Konotopetz, Eric Kemp, Robbie Anderson, Will Critchley, Louise Oram

The relay (July 6) teams will be decided at the event, although we have insider information that Louise Oram has been approved to run on a men's team, which means all the guys will get to run! Maybe some healthy competition between the Canadian teams?!

From July 2nd, when you log in to the Team Canada blog you'll find pre-race coverage, terrain analysis, goals and thoughts of the runners, along with all the links you'll need to watch the race live online! There will also be post-race coverage with analysis, athletes thoughts, maps, results and splits, photos, and so much more!

Let's hear your cheers; Go Canada Go!