International Orienteering Federation


The International Orienteering Federation is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. The IOF head office is located in Karlstad, Sweden.
The IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering.

History

The IOF was founded on 21 May 1961 at a Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark by the orienteering national federations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. By 1969, the IOF represented 16 countries, including its first two non-European member federations representing Japan and Canada, and in 1977 the IOF was recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Membership

As of January 2016, the membership of the IOF comprises 80 national orienteering federations, of which 56 are members, 24 are provisional members, divided into six geographical regions.

Africa

6 Members, 1 Provisional Member

Asia

17 Members, 1 Provisional Member

Europe

40 Members

North America

5 Members

Oceania

2 Members

South America

9 Members

Governance structure

The IOF is governed by an elected Council consisting of a President, a Senior Vice President, two Vice Presidents, and seven other Council members. Day-to-day operations of the IOF are the responsibility of the IOF Secretary General. Several standing commissions of the IOF are responsible for the development of the sport worldwide. These commissions include: Foot Orienteering, MTB Orienteering, Ski Orienteering, Trail Orienteering, Environment, IT, Map, Medical, and Rules.

Presidents

Since 1977, the IOF has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
The IOF is also a member of the following organisations:
The IOF publishes a wide variety of journals and reference works related to the sport. These include Orienteering World, an annual magazine, The Scientific Journal of Orienteering, the OZine, and official editions of the rules of IOF sanctioned orienteering and specifications for orienteering maps.