On 23rd September, the Secretary General for Sport and Physical Activity of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Anna Caula Paretas, presided in the Building of the Generalitat de Catalunya in Girona the presentation of the World Masters Orienteering Championship 2025. The event will be held in various locations in the province of Girona with the presence of more than 4,000 participants.
The International Orienteering Federation approved the Girona bid in the summer of 2022, and therefore Girona, Banyoles, Besalú, Pals, l’Escala, Torroella de Montgrí and Sarrià de Ter will host this international championship for people over 35 years of age.
More than 4,000 runners are expected to attend –both former world elite runners and amateurs–, distributed in official categories every 5 years and up to the category over 100 years old. There will also be unofficial categories for those under 35 (the Costa Brava Cup that will be held in parallel), which can bring together about 1,000 additional runners. To compete in this event, no prior classification or ranking is required, everyone can register.
Most men and women who participate come from northern European countries in a sport with gender equality (the split percentage between men and women is close to 50%). A World Championship of this kind brings some 10,000 people in stays of about 10 days, which generates a “high impact”, as Anna Caula highlighted. “This event will allow us to promote Catalan sport and culture and to publicize emerging sports, which can also be practiced in all life stages”, he added.
The event will last for 8 days, with 5 races (2 qualifications and 3 finals) and 2 training sessions. With a main location (Girona), the 7 events are distributed throughout different parts of the territory. Since 1983, there have been 32 editions of the World Championship, held in 22 countries and 3 different continents, but for the first time Catalunya will be the organizer in three years time.
The Federació de Curses d’Orientació de Catalunya will be the organizer, with the support and involvement of its 27 member clubs. The entity has experience in the organization of other international events such as the World Rogaining Championship 2019 (La Molina), the European City Race, the 5 days of Cerdanya or the TIC Barcelona.
As the authorities attending the event have stated, the main objectives of this World Championship are to promote the sport, raise awareness of the local environment, and demonstrate the organizational level.
The Secretary General for Sport and Physical Activity was joined by Marta Madrenas, Mayor of Girona; Maria Àngels Planas, vice-president of the Diputació of Girona; Josep Maria Santiago, president of the Federació de Curses d’Orientació de Catalunya; Francisco Gómez Cobas, president of the Federación Española de Orientación, as well as Alexandre Creixell, regidor for Sports of Pals; Genís Pigem, regidor for Sports of Torroella de Montgrí, and Jordi Congost, regidor for Sports of Banyoles, as well as the territorial representative of Sport in Girona, Anna Julià.
