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What is EFOL 2010?
EFOL is the international organisation responsible for the European Foresters' Orienteering Championships
History
The initiative to form the EFOL came from the Swede Leif Strömquist. He wanted to create a summer festival for European foresters. His idea was to set up something on similar lines to the winter gathering of European foresters, EFNS, which was started in Germany in 1969.
Strömquist got support for his ideas whilst working in Latvia. He worked here together with Martins Gaigals of the Latvian state forestry service. The first EFOL was therefore held in Strenci, Latvia; it was in August 1994.
EFOL is modelled on the same concept as EFNS. That means that anyone employed or educated in forestry, forest owners, and people employed by forest contractors, together with their close families, can take part in the official EFOL championships.
IC EFOL meeting EFOL 2010 Committee on the beach november 2009
Hosting
There is a tradition that the host nation organises the event to a high standard. This applies especially to the ceremonial and vocational parts of the programme.
The rules for EFOL therefore require that a major forestry organisation in the host country sponsors the event. This is to ensure high quality and some economic support. In Denmark it is the Skov- og Naturstyrelsen (state forestry) in Blåvandshuk which is providing the support.
EFOL is run by its International Committee (IC EFOL), which has next to no assets and therefore cannot take financial responsibility for the annual Championships. The Championships and the associated vocational activities are therefore financed entirely by the participants themselves and the host country.
Organisation
The highest authority in EFOL is the Annual Meeting. This is held by EFOL every year and amongst other things decides on the venues for future years.
Previous host countries:
1994 Latvia
1995 Estonia
1996 Sweden
1997 Finland
1998 Hungary
1999 Slovakia
2000 Norway
2001 Czech Republic
2002 Lithuania
2003 Poland
2004 Hungary
2005 Latvia
2006 Finland
2007 Estonia
2008 Germany
2009 Czech Republic
Future host nations are:
2010 Denmark
2011 Norway
Programme
The programme for EFOL consists of the following activities:
A team leaders' meeting
A seminar with vocational content
An excursion with vocational content
A banquet, and ..
The Annual Meeting.
In Denmark the vocational part of the programme will take as its reference point the balance between protection and utilisation of the forest.
In this area the most recent Danish research is at the highest international level. Likewise the Danish state forests and most private forest owners have good experience in opening their land for new outdoor activities which improve health - popularly called 'green fitness'.
Sport
The Championships include three orienteering formats:
- sprint
- middle distance
- relay
The rules of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) apply for these competitions, except that the division of classes is a little different, both for men and for women.
In addition to the three competitions, participants will be offered training opportunities up to and during EFOL, on maps and courses and in forests similar to those which will be used for the Championship competitions.
Relay 2009 in CZ - Sven Wodschow, Denmark
Organisation
The demands on mapping, course planning and event organisation for these Championships are high. There is a tradition that this part of the EFOL programme is of international class, and that responsibility for the key functions is taken by people with extensive knowledge of the sport of orienteering.
In recent years there have usually been 300-350 participants in EFOL. The number depends a bit on distance and cost, as participants from the new European countries in the east have not always been able to pay west European prices.
We expect to have participants from 11 to 14 countries in Denmark in 2010.
Orienteers welcome!
In addition we expect many Danish orienteers to attend the Championships. They will be offered the opportunity to follow the progress of the Championships from close range. As soon as the Championship races are over, they will be able to follow in the participants' footsteps and test their skills on the same maps and courses.
There will be courses on offer for 5 days in succession, under the banner Sydvestjysk 5 dages.
Summary
The hosts are OK West and OK Esbjerg in collaboration with the Danish Orienteering Federation and Skov- og Naturstyrelsen (state forestry), Blåvandshuk.
300-350 participants from 11-14 countries are expected to attend.
An important part of the programme is the vocational seminar and excursions with vocational content.
The theme here: Balance between protection and utilisation.
The Event Centre is in Nymindegab, Varde Kommune.
The competition areas will be new for most orienteers, in that Nyminde Plantage and Kærgård Plantage are here being re-opened for orienteering.
Two dune areas of the highest quality and newly-drawn maps using the best technology.
Nicoline Lorenzen, DK Host - See You in Denmark 2010 ?.
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Dansk Orienterings-Forbund
OK West -
