Japan

What you should know about Japan today: era change

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Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated on 30 April 2019, succeeded by his elder son Naruhito.

A new emperor will always use a new era name (年号 nengō). Until 30 April 2019 the era name was 平成 Heisei. As Japan has now passed into 1 May at 00:00 (30 April 18:00 for Central Europe), the era name is now 令和 Reiwa.

Yoshihide Suga (Chief Cabinet Secretary) announced the new era name on 1 April. The cabinet selected the name from a shortlist submitted by an expert panel. (Government of Japan, CC-BY 4.0)

In Japan, people always use era names to count years. The Heisei era had been in use since Emperor Akihito’s reign started in 1989 (Heisei 1). The year 2018 was Heisei 30. Era names are important not only for practical purposes; they also have strong social, cultural and emotional significance for people in Japan.

This year (2019) is therefore known in Japan as “Reiwa 1” from 1 May onwards. (Until 30 April, the year was “Heisei 31”.)

More about Japan! Did you know Japan is hosting the Asian Junior and Youth Orienteering Championships this summer? You can also join the spectator races!

Malaysia

3 Questions on Orienteering in Malaysia

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Malaysia is a known travel destination for city, culture, nature and beach lovers alike. It is however not known to be an orienteering destination yet. In this article, we will answer 3 questions as it relates to orienteering in Malaysia.

1. Can I drive my car to the races?

Of course you can rent a car in Malaysia (driving your own car to Malaysia is probably not practical unless you live in Singapore or Thailand)—but that won’t be necessary for orienteering events.

Almost all orienteering events are located in or near cities (Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley, Kuantan, etc.) You can take buses to orienteering events. Taxi is also not very expensive (e.g. in Kuantan it costs 28 ringgits for a distance of 20km, or around €6).

For the Tropical Orienteering Week there will be no dedicated parking zones. You can park in nearby public car parks where available. We encourage everyone to take the bus to the races (as the Hong Kong orienteers already do).

2. Malaysia is a tropical country. Would the heat be unbearable for orienteering?

Valid question, but don’t worry.

Malaysia does have a tropical climate, with an average temperature of 27°C. This is warm, if not very hot, but still nice for running/orienteering.

In tropical/subtropical orienteering communities (Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc.) the course length is often shorter than that of Europe/Oceania, e.g. a sprint for 3 km, a middle distance for 3–4 km, and a long distance for 7–9 km (seldom competed in Asia, not even in the Asian Orienteering Championships or the coming World Cup Finals in China).

But one thing is for sure: drink enough water!

3. Is the wildlife dangerous? (snakes, tigers etc.)

Good question.

The animals themselves, of course, are dangerous. However, they are quite a distance away from the cities and people.

Snakes are often found in jungles and mangrove forests. However, they also tend to be quite afraid of people and are often nocturnal, so a crowd of orienteers (and other visitors) would be enough to scare them away. (Editor’s note: When I started orienteering in Hong Kong I also had the same fear, until I realise the above point. Hundreds of orienteering and trail running races have been held in Hong Kong without a single snake bite; ankle sprains are a far more common injury.)

The only place you can see a snake in cities is usually the reptile house (or maybe the snake restaurant, if you dare).

Do search for basic knowledge about what to do when seeing a snake. Mainly: don’t run away, back off slowly, if it’s not triggered, you’ll be fine.

Tigers—yes they exist, but usually in jungles far from cities, not where we usually have orienteering.

Join the Tropical Orienteering Week today—super early bird ends 1 May!

Asia

What is the Asian Cup?

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In 2018, a new name became the talk of the Asian orienteering community—the Asian Cup. Its conception follows a line of newly founded Asian-wide events, which also include the Asian Junior and Youth Orienteering Championships (AsJYOC) and the Asian Trail Orienteering Championships.

While Europe is already widely known as the “hinterland” of the orienteering sport with an abundance of “European-wide” events (EOC, EYOC, ETOC…), the trend is just catching up in Asia with only a handful of countries (mainly in East Asia) with sufficient talent to field teams. Many more countries (mainly in Southeast Asia) still in a foundation stage with a very small core of orienteers. So why the Asian Cup, and how is it different from the other Asian-wide events (AsOC etc.)?

The Asian Cup

The Asian Cup is led and administered by the Orienteering Association of Hong Kong, which is also one of the first places in Asia to have formal orienteering (see the article Did you know…?)

OAHK has set up a website to host information relating to the four Asian-wide events (AsOC, Asian Cup, AsJYOC, ATOC), which looks largely identical in design to the OAHK website.

Unlike the World Cup in orienteering, there is no such thing as an independent Asian Cup stage event. Most Asian Cup events are World Ranking Events, but the Asian Cup also includes the Asian Orienteering Championships. Relay events (sprint/forest) may also be included.

Participation in the Asian Cup is restricted to elite competitors registered by their federations, and no more than 30 males and 30 females per federation (Note: this equals the maximum number of people allowed to join the Elite class in Hong Kong ranking events each year, separately for sprint and middle/long distance events). IOF top level event rules also apply (must hold full passport of that country, must have IOF athlete license). Cup results are computed using a 40-rank scoring system ranging from the 1st (100 points) to the 40th rank (9 points) for each stage. Other finishers will be given 5 points for each stage. Scores and overall titles are awarded to both individuals and federations.

  • A South Korean athlete at the sprint race of the 2018 Asian Orienteering Championships, part of the Asian Cup for the first time in AsOC history.

Which events are included in the Asian Cup?

The calendar of the 2019 Asian Cup that year, as announced by OAHK, is as follows:

  • Japan, 14 April 2019 (All Japan Orienteering Championship in Nikko)
  • Malaysia, 5 October 2019 (Malaysia Polytechnic Orienteering Championship in Kuantan, also see Tropical Orienteering Week)
  • Taipei, 12–13 October 2019 (Kinmen Orienteering Championships)
  • China, date to be confirmed (editor’s note: very likely to be the final stage of the Historical Road Championships this year on 14–15 October 2019)

Who won the Asian Cup last year?

See this file. We haven’t found the federation scores but you can add the athletes’ scores up and get the result.

Got itchy feet?

Remember that the Asian Cup is limited to Asian elite athletes only, so unless you take up the nationality of one of the participating federations, you can’t really be part of it. However, most events are also World Ranking Events at the same time so it’s a good idea to check the calendar and book your trip (why not consider the Tropical Orienteering Week in Malaysia?)