What is O-Ringen

The O-Ringen is Sweden's biggest sporting adventure and the world's largest orienteering festival and takes place every year in July (week 30), in a new location every year. When the competition began in 1965 it was called "5 days", and as the name indicates it is a competition with five days of competition for participants, with a stage a day but with a combined result from whole week.

The O-Ringen is a meeting place for about 15,000 - 20,000 orienteers who together throughout the competition week have about 75,000 starts. The participants come from all over the world and there are usually about 40 nations represented. The competition is dealt up into classes based on age and ability. In total there are about 100 classes every year, from the youngest in the 10 year old class to the real veterans in the 90 year old class.

The O-Ringen is very much a big family festival. The family spends a week on holiday at the O-Ringen and he whole family can participate according to their ability. Children, adolescents and parents can meet old friends and new acquaintances. The O-Ringen is arranged in different locations every year. The center of the competition is a specially constructed O-Ringen town, where thousands of campers and tents set up and all other necessary infrastructure are built up in the form of service buildings, sales and fairs. The Swedish Orienteering Federation owns the event but the O-Ringen has its own organisation for the development and organisation for the O-Ringen. Future organisers of the O-Ringen are appointed three or four years in advance and then planned in consultation between the central office and the local orienteering clubs in the region.

UPCOMING YEARS »

O-Ringen Boden 2013 »
O-Ringen Skåne 2014 »
O-Ringen Borås 2015 »