In the women’s individual race, Long Distance World Champion Karolina A Höjsgaard (Sweden) and Sprint World Champion Simone Niggli-Luder (Switzerland) will have plenty of strong competition for the title of World Games Champion 2005. Strongest challengers are likely to be Anne Margrethe Hausken (Norway) and Jenny Johansson (Sweden), who both tasted success in the first round of this year’s World Cup, winning the sprint and middle distance races respectively.

Middle distance World Champion for the last two years, Thierry Gueorgiou (France) will be the big favourite to take the men’s title: the World Games distance of 6.6 km (estimated winning time 35 minutes) is just right for him. He will certainly have strong competition from amongst others Sweden’s Niclas Jonasson, current Sprint World Champion, and the defending World Games Champion, Grant Bluett from Australia.

Several other current and former World Championships medallists will be in the starting line-up of 40 women and 40 men in the individual races over middle distance to be held on Saturday 16th July. The mixed relay race, for national teams made up of 2 women and 2 men, will be held the following day; the defending champion nation is Norway.

The 2005 World Games are the seventh overall and the second to include orienteering. 32 non-Olympic sports will be represented, and the Games organisers expect over 500,000 spectators in all with TV transmission to many countries across the globe. The arena for orienteering, site of the finish for both individual and relay races, will be the Jahnstadion in Bottrup.