The World Games 2013 has started and the orienteering events start next week! The World Games is like an ‘Olympics’ for those sporting disciplines not represented at the Olympics. 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia from 25 July to 4 August.
Last month, a squad of 39 athletes representing Team South Africa was announced by SASCOC. The team will take part in a total of nine sports in the Games, a quadrennial highlight for the non-Olympic sporting codes. Sports that Team South Africa will compete in are: Aero sport, archery, cue sport, gymnastics, lifesaving, orienteering, rugby sevens, tug-of-war and waterskiing.
The World’s top orienteers will fight for medals in Sprint, Middle distance and Sprint relay in Cali, Colombia. The previous World Games in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei in 2009 was a huge success, and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) aims to make the orienteering competitions in this 2013 edition of The Games even bigger.
“The World Games are a true celebration for the sporting codes that don’t get to experience the Olympic Games. However the pride and passion shown by competitors is just as fierce and our athletes will know that they are up against the very best in the world in Cali,” said SASCOC President Gideon Sam.
“This is the perfect chance for our athletes to boost the profile of the codes often perceived as cinderella sports here in South Africa. I have no doubt they will do us proud in South America.”
Michael Crone will compete in the Sprint event and Tania Wimberley is attending as his manager. After Michael’s superb results last year in the Sprint event at the World Orienteering Championships, the South African orienteering community will follow him closely.
The orienteering events will be held on 1-4 August and there will be online tracking and live tv through the IOF website.
Orienteering participants
Australia
Kathryn Preston
Austria
Anna Simkovics
Gernot Kerschbaumer
Robert Merl
Ursula Kadan
Brazil
Leandro Pereira Pasturiza
Franciely De Siqueira Chiles
Cleber Baratto Vidal
Tânia Maria Jesus de Carvalho
Bulgaria
Kiril Nikolov
China
Qiaoping Li
Yingwei Wang
Mingyue Zhu
Xiyuan Liang
Colombia
Jhenny Carolina Pinilla Moya
John Jairo Cardenas Carreño
Mariana Stella Torres Pinto
Oscar Andres Rodriguez Sanabria
Czech Republic
Jan Procházka
Tereza Novotna
Vojtech Kral
Iveta Duchova
Denmark
Rasmus Thrane Hansen
Ida Bobach
Tue Agner Hjort Lassen
Maja Alm
Estonia
Annika Rihma
Finland
Minna-Mari Kauppi
France
Amélie Chataing
Lucas Basset
Celine Dodin
Frédéric Tranchand
Great Britain
Tessa Hill
Murray Strain
Scott Fraser
Catherine Taylor
Hungary
Ildikó Szerencsi
Zsolt Lenkei
Ádám Kovács
Fanni Gyurkó
Latvia
Aija Skrastina
Inga Dambe
Kalvis Mihailovs
Martins Sirmais
Edgars Bertuks
Lithuania
Kristina Rybakovaitė
Aušrinė Kutkaitė
Jonas Vytautas Gvildys
Vilius Aleliūnas
New Zealand
Rachael Smith
Tane Cambridge
Georgia Whitla
Christopher Forne
Norway
Anne Margrethe Hausken Nordberg
Øystein Kvaal Østerbø
Carl Godager Kaas
Mari Fasting
Poland
Monika Gajda
Anna Morawska
Russia
Ekaterina Savkina
Andrey Khramov
Anastasia Tikhonova
Gleb Tikhonov
South Africa
Michael Crone
Sweden
Anders Holmberg
Tove Alexandersson
Annika Billstam
Jerker Lysell
Switzerland
Matthias Kyburz
Judith Wyder
Fabian Hertner
Daniel Hubmann
Sara Lüscher
Ukraine
Nadiya Volynska
Oleksandr Kratov
United States of America
Samantha Saeger
Eric Bone
Alison Crocker
Ross Smith