Park PWTWorld Tour NOW NEWS NOW Park Orienteering World Championships Park PWTWorld Tour NOW We say Yes! OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK WORLD TOUR SUPPORTERS´ CLUB • ISSUE 2/2000, JULY The World's Best Orienteers Tellesbø and Mikkola PWT première winners Hanne Staff, World Champion, European Champion, World Cup and PWT Winner: "A World Champion- ships series in Park Orienteering will Soon a World Champ?! increase the interest for our sport world- wide", says Hanne – the newly-crowned Odin Tellesbø of Norway was – like Finland's Marika Mikkola – a happy Towards the 2008 Olympics European Champion and leading lady on the international orienteering scene surprise winner at the Park World Tour 2000 première. Already in 2001 One of the Champions' Week for the last four years. A successful and he may be able to compete for the World Championship title in Park participants will be Wang Junxia of experienced all-round orienteer, she does China, the reigning Olympic 5,000 not want to see the park distance Orienteering. A decision to introduce an official Park Orienteering World metres Champion and world record included in the classic World Championships can be made by the IOF Congress, which will be held in holder at 3,000 and 10,000 metres. Championships week. Egil Johansen (far left) ran the long night leg in the team made up of former She will make her elite orienteering "It should be a separate series of 5-6 Austria, 1-5 August, at the same time as the PWT Champions' Week gathers debut at the PWT race in Sweden on races. As the courses are short any World Champions at this year's Jukola relay. He was joined by Morten Berglia, Øyvin Thon, Åge Hadler, Jörgen Mårtensson, Kjell Lauri and Göran an all-time-high of 40 orienteering nations competing at the same place. 26 July, supported by Beijing Olympic elements of chance can affect a single Öhlund - all supporting a Park Orienteering World Championships series. Corporation, which is bidding for the championships race, but any such 2008 Games. elements will be evened out over a series If Beijing wins the 2008 Olympic of races." The Champions of the 60's, 70's, runners to earn money from their sport. Games, the bid committee has given Her views are in line with those of the 80's and 90's This is also very important", says Seppo. assurance that they will work for the Norwegian national team, which is The husband of Liisa Veijalainen, World inclusion of orienteering in the officially opposed to any changes to the Egil Johansen, World Champion in Champion in 1976, believes in an Olympic programme. current WOC program - but is in favour 1976 and 1978, Norwegian national future for the sport - as a combination of of a Park WOC series. World team coach: "We need the Park classic and Park orienteering. "A World Towards 75 nations Champions such as Allan Mogensen of competitions even if many people here Championships series in Park-O could Denmark, Finland's Janne Salmi and in the Nordic countries think of the definitely be the door opener." With more than 40 countries Austrian Lucie Böhm also support the classic form of orienteering as the main represented at the 2000 Champions' introduction of a Park WOC series. version of the sport." Week, the PWT shows that park "Park Orienteering provides a lot of new orienteering is the way to spread the countries opportunities to practise the sport around the world. sport. And it is even more important in "Very soon we will be able to attract 75 attracting the media", says Egil Johansen different nations to a World - himself an expert commentator for Championships series in Park Orien- the live TV broadcast from the Park teering, which is the official criteria for World Tour in Oslo last year. "A series inclusion in the Olympic Games", says of Park World Champion-ships events, Jörgen Mårtensson, multi-World where the winner is crowned after the Champion and one of the PWT final race, could be the best alternative." founders. The introduction of a Park Orien- The Media teering World Championships series Seppo Veijalainen, one of the world's from 2001 on is also supported by Seppo Veijalainen, Orienteering Journalist most experienced orienteering Norway – the world's leading since the 1970's: "Park Orienteering is the journalists, sees a Park WOC series as orienteering nation – and many way to go to get obtain more TV and media a door opener to the Olympic Games. international top runners. coverage at the competitions", says Seppo Veijalainen - a supporter of the Park World PWT NOW! ISSUE 2/2000, JULY Text: Erik Borg, Kjell Nilsson, Sepp Hartinger, Tour ever since its beginning. When PWT Iain Rochford, Anders Vestergård. Page 2-7 Extensive coverage of Hanne Staff – now also European came to his home town of Turku last year, Pictures: Thommy Nyhlén, Erik Borg, PWT Archive. the PWT 2000 première. Champion – is one of many top the media interest was huge - much bigger Layout & Printing: Hartinger Consulting. Publisher: PWT Supporter Club, Jan Fogeby, Page 8-11 Champions gathering orienteers in favour of a Park WOC than at most World Cup events. "The Park Odin Tellesbø says "Yes!" to a World Championships series in Dadelgränd 6, 17557 Järfälla, Sweden, Park Orienteering – as do many of the best orienteers in the world. in Sweden , Slovenia and Austria. series. races have also made it possible for the E-mail: [email protected] 12 www.pwt.org Park Park PWTWorld Tour NOW PWTWorld Tour NOW Smash hit for Marika in her second race Annichen Kringstad. Emma made her while Norwegian Hanne Staff was not runners from seven different countries PWT debut in Laxå in 1997 as a able to run due to injury. occupying the top ten places in the junior, but counts Hamina as her first Just as in the men's race, the impres- results. proper PWT race. "This has given me sion after the first PWT race of the The PWT 2000 premiére was orga- a taste for more and I'll be running the year is one of greater competition with nised by the orienteering club Vehka- rest of the PWT series. I am an ever broader elite base. The inter- lahden Veikot and the Reserve Finnish success convinced that park orienteering provides national variety is also impressive with Officers' School of Hamina. experience from which I can benefit in classic orienteering races, not least with regard to coping with stress", explained Results and points, women Emma. 1 Marika Mikkola FIN 18.57,4 25 2 Reeta Kolkkala FIN 19.07,4 20 in the Hamina Favourites fall at the first hurdle 3 Emma Engstrand SWE 19.53,6 17 PWT specialists such as Lucie Böhm 4 Kaisa Salminen FIN 20.11,4 15 of Austria and Denmark's Dorte Dahl 5 Frauke Schmitt-Gran GER 20.15,3 13 finished further down the results list 6 Elisabeth Ingvaldsen NOR 20.20,4 11 in 8th and 15th place respectively, 7 Brigitte Grüniger SUI 20.20,5 9 fortress 8 Lucie Böhm AUT 20.25,5 8 9 Maria Sandström SWE 20.52,5 7 10 Giedre Voveriene LTU 20.53,5 6 11 Külli Kaljus EST 20.57,5 5 12 Käthi Widler SUI 21.03,3 4 13 Heather Monro GBR 21.07,2 3 14 Maria Hoffman FIN 21.10,9 2 15 Dorte Dahl DEN 21.11,6 1 16 Karolina Arewång SWE 21.20,6 17 Birgitte N. Husebye NOR 21.43,1 18 Heidi Liljeström FIN 21.57,5 19 Eva Jurenikova SWE 22.01,1 20 Annika Björk SWE 22.21,1 21 Jenny James GBR 22.28,3 22 Zsuzsa Fey ROM 23.43,5 Karolina Arewång: Should I run 23 Michaela Gigon AUT 24.37,5 through the tunnel or not? 24 Julie Calder AUS 25.22,0 Faster, better, stronger: New high-tech heights for PWT Newcomer Emma Engstrand (left) of Sweden was the only one to stop a Finnish triple victory on home ground The 2000 première in Finland was another landmark in the high-tech history of the Park World - but she couldn´t stop the top two: happy winner Marika Mikkola and silver medallist Reeta Kolkkala. Tour. With Sportident making its debut as the PWT timekeeping system, the official results were provided within three minutes of the last runner finishing in each class, thus ensuring that the The Finnish women defended the honour of their country at I have set myself high goals, both for the PWT and next year's World Champi- award ceremonies were conducted on schedule – and live on TV. the premiére race of the 2000 Park World Tour series around onships here in Finland. I am free of the famous fortress ramparts at Hamina. injury and very hungry", commented TV plans for the future teering arena and the Swedish company from the course via radio transmission, Marika whose start in Hamina was had four men at the course in Hamina a service provided by the Czech com- A new star emerged in the shape of High ambitions only her second ever PWT race. FST, the Swedish language department to ensure a smooth results service. pany Racom. The Park World Tour is 28 year old Marika Mikkola who of the Finnish Broadcasting Company With a digital time display on the stage, now negotiating with Racom con- finished 9 seconds ahead of her better- Marika Mikkola does not have any Engstrand in the mood Yle, provided the longest ever live PWT the spectators were able to follow the cerning the Champions' Week in Au- known compatriot Reeta Kolkkala – top international results apart from a broadcast and succeeded in catching development of the race - and in both stria next month, with the aim of ha- the overall winner of the historic first relay gold from the 1995 Nordic Emma Engstrand of Sweden was also the race action and the special at- classes the fight for the podium positi- ving live transmission of split times ever PWT series in 1996.