Competition and participation classes

IOF Championship and WRE Classes

The Canadian Championships Middle and Western Canadian Championships Middle events are official WRE events (World Ranking Events) for the following classes:

  • M21 and F21

Notes for WRE Classes:

  • Courses will follow IOF guidelines for difficulty and recommended winning time
  • Gender classes shall be as defined by the IOF
  • only participants with an IOF ID will be eligible for official placing in any of the above classes; to obtain an IOF ID, (there is no fee) sign up online at IOF Eventor

For more details on the WRE events please see our WRE page.

Age Class Championships

There are age class championships for all age groups (2 year age groups for 20 and under, 10 year age groups for 35 to 75, 5 year age groups for 75 and over) at the festival. There is an F and M class for each age class.

  • Junior classes: 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, 18-, 20-
  • Senior class: 21
  • Masters classes: 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+, 75+, 80+, 85+, 90+

* Note:

  • M21 and F21 at the COC Middle and WCOC Middle are IOF events and will follow IOF regulations

Notes for COC and WCOC championship age classes:

  • Only those identifying as Female can register in F classes.
  • M classes are open to all competitors
  • Courses will follow Orienteering Canada guidelines for courses and categories

Medal Eligibility

For Canadian Championship events:

  • Medal winners of the Canadian Championships must be full members of a provincial/territorial association; and (a) Canadian citizens; or (b) permanent residents as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

For Western Canadian Championship classes:

  • eligibility information

Non-Competitive Classes

For participants wanting a course outside their age class, there are non-competitive options (and no awards).

  • Open classes (Open1 through Open 7 for Middle and Long, Open 1 through Open 5 for Sprint) allow participants to choose the course they wish to be on.
  • Short courses allow participants to be on a course with their age and gender class
    • 16-S (technically less difficult)
    • 20-S (shorter)
    • 21S (shorter)

Recommended Winning Times and Technical Difficulty

Since the terrain for orienteering courses, and the speed at which the terrain can be traversed, varies significantly from event to event, instead of using distance guidelines for setting courses, a Recommended Winning Time (RWT) is used. Courses will be shorter on slower terrain (thicker forest, more hills) so that winning times remain relatively consistent for a given age class. The recommended winning times are indicated in the table below for the Middle and Long distance events.

Orienteering Canada has set 5 Technical Difficulty (TD) levels for orienteering courses.

  • Level 1 is “Beginner”‘
  • Level 2 is “Novice”
  • Level 3 is “Intermediate”
  • Level 4 is “Veteran”
  • Level 5 is “Expert and Elite”

The table below shows the TD levels for the Middle and Long distance events.

For Sprint events the recommended winning time is 12 to 15 minutes for all classes, the TD level is 3 for all classes

Middle RWTLong RWTTD Level
M10-, F10-20-2530-351
M12-, F12-20-2530-352
M14-, F14-20-2530-353
M16-, F16-25-3050-553
M18-, F18-30-3555-605
M20-, F20-30-3590-100 / 55-605
M21, F2130-3590-1005
M35+, F35+30-3590-100 / 55-605
M45+, F45+30-3555-60 / 50-555
M55+, F55+30-3555-60 / 50-555
M65+, F65+30-3550-555
M75+, F75+30-3545-504
M80+, F80+30-3545-504
85+, F85+30-3545-504
M90+, F90+30-3545-504

The above information is all from Orienteering Canada’s Course and Class Guidelines.