World Orienteering Championships - Edinburgh 2024

We were delighted to hold the World Orienteering Championships – Sprint Relay & Community Event at Oriam on Sunday the 14^th of July.  Featuring some of the best orienteering competitors from across the world it was a fantastic event celebrating international sport.

The event was held across Edinburgh from 11th-16th July with competitors ranging from elite athletes to amateur competitors participating in the World Orienteering Championship Tour. The race took take place across Edinburgh from Leith and Central Edinburgh to Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton Campus and Wester Hailes.

The Sprint Relay at Oriam

The Sprint Relay started and finished in our Indoor Synthetic Pitch with athletes completing a course across Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton Campus. With 34 teams from across the globe competing at the event, the Sprint Relay was a huge success. The campus was alive with activity, with over 1,000 spectators in attendance including over 300 fans inside our main grandstand.

A fan zone with a large screen beamed the action from across campus to spectators within our garden spaces with over 700 fans in this space alone. The event was broadcast across the world in 60 different countries, with over 5 million viewers in Europe alone, showcasing the international spectacle to fans. 

Who Won The Sprint Relay?

The event had 34 teams competing, with Switzerland taking the win. They were joined on the podium by Finland and Norway who took silver and bronze respectively. Czechia, France, Hungary, Great Britain, Austria, Spain and New Zealand rounded off the top ten, with top performances from all athletes. 

Following the conclusion of the professional event, amateurs and spectators had the opportunity to get involved and participated in the WPC Tour which traversed the course. This saw nearly 1,000 orienteering enthusiasts get involved in the action across campus. 

It was fantastic to host an event of this magnitude at Oriam and we were delighted to be selected as a host venue. Oriam is a destination for sport of all levels and this event exemplified this through competition of athletes at the highest level through to amateurs and enthusiasts getting involved in the action.