The International Rogaining Federation (IRF) has awarded the rights to host the 16th World Rogaining Championships (WRC) to the Iberogaine Asociacion in conjunction with a number of orienteering clubs who are members of the Federacio de Curses d’Orientacio de Catalunya. The Championships will be held on 6th-7th July 2019 and will attract many hundreds of elite and veteran endurance cross-country navigators from around the world. The event will be centred on two of Catalunya’s top ski resorts: La Molina and Masella, with the competition area straddling the Spain/France border in the Pyrenees Mountains. The combination of high altitude, steep slopes and 40% open terrain will be very different from any previous WRC with the physically demanding nature of the area sure to offer a challenge to the world’s best rogainers.

 

The 14th World Rogaining Championships were recently held in Central Australia, with the 15th WRC to be conducted in Latvia in 2017.

IRF President, Richard Robinson, said that it was pleasing to see the IRF’s newest Member being given this opportunity and that the award was a testament to the high quality of the 2016 European Rogaining Championships also hosted by Iberogaine. He also noted that holding the World Rogaining Championships in the spectacular but physically demanding Pyrenees provided a great opportunity for rogainers from across the world to test themselves in a terrain type not used for a World Championship previously.

 

IRF WRC Manager Jan Tojnar, who leads the selection process for World Rogaining Championships, said that the award to Spain is recognition of great depth of talent within the country for the organisation of major championship rogaines. Spain has previously conducted two European Rogaining Championships (2013 & 2016) and the core organising team for this event were closely involved in both of those very successful events.