The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) 2019 in Denmark finished yesterday (Friday 12 July) with the forest relay.
Japan and Hong Kong continue to be the only East Asian teams at JWOC. Both improved by one place in team ranking, concluding with 28th and 34th places respectively. Overall, the two teams performed as great as last year.
A highlight of this year’s JWOC, however, is Egypt’s debut. Egypt has joined the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) since around 2015. Will more countries follow the lead and join WOC and JWOC? Budget might be a problem for Asian teams to compete in Europe, where most major orienteering events take place. Maybe orienteering needs to be more visible in Asia to attract runners, sponsors and resources?
