History of Orienteering - Spread Beyond Europe After World War II

Spread Beyond Europe After World War II

Following World War II, orienteering spread throughout Europe, and to North America, Oceania, and Asia. This spread was due in part to post-war travel by European orienteers, therefore more military people were using orienteering as part of a training method.

In North America, the first orienteering event took place in the United States, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in November 1941. It was organized by Piltti Heiskanen, a visiting teacher from Finland. Swedish orienteer and business man Bjorn Kjellström, who moved to the United States in 1946, had a major influence on the sport there. In 1967, Norwegian Harald Wibye founded the first U.S. orienteering club, the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association, which 30 years later was the largest orienteering club in the United States. In 1971, a group of orienteers led by members of the then four year old Quantico Orienteering Club founded the United States Orienteering Federation.

The Canadian Orienteering Federation was founded in 1967, and the first Canadian national orienteering championship was held at Gatineau Park in Ottawa on August 10, 1968. The only World Championship to be held in North America took place at Harriman State Park, New York, USA, in 1993.

In Australia, the first orienteering event was held in 1955.