Thank God, it was not in China – Part 2
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
8M ago
The facts about the World Cup Round 2 in Czechia: Great historic victory in the men’s competition. (the results ) The course setter has been the national team coach of the winner since 2021. Shame on anybody who has second thoughts about the optics of the results. This is not dissimilar to other European events. These events teach orienteers the right way of applying the IOF’s Fair Play principles in practice ..read more
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Response from the IOF
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
8M ago
Earlier, I raised questions regarding the application of IOF Fair Play principles in the World Cup Round 2. I wrote to several stakeholders asking their opinion on whether in it is a potential conflict of interest if the coach of a national team is the course setter on a major IOF event. I published the responses from the organisers in my previous post. The replies received from the IOF President, General Secretary, and the Chair of the Rules Commission are shown below. As with the responses of the organisers, I would argue with some of their key points, but I will do it only after the World C ..read more
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Response from the World Cup organisers
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
8M ago
As promised in my previous post that raised questions regarding the application of IOF Fair Play principles in the World Cup Round 2, I wrote to several stakeholders asking their opinion on whether in it is a potential conflict of interest if the coach of a national team is the course setter on a major IOF event. I received shareable and substantive responses from the Organisers and the National Controller. It is much appreciated. I share them below so everybody can read them. Although I would argue with some of their key points, I will not do it now because of the respect that they shall focu ..read more
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Is this a Fair Play conflict of interest?
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
8M ago
The readers of Bulletin#4 of the World Cup Round 2 were in for a surprise as I was informed by some of the athletes: half of the courses were planned by the head coach of a competing national team, a piece of information that was not disclosed in previous bulletins. Infor from Bulletin 4 Info from the ÖFOL website This may look like a serious conflict of interest and appears to fly against the Fair Play and Ethics efforts of the IOF launched officially in 2020. The Fair Play Principles for Event Organisers is specific about not allocating persons with a potential conflict of interest to key po ..read more
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Back in business
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
8M ago
A year passed since my last post. I did not write for a number of reasons. I got a new job where I had to write hundreds of pages of academic text. The little writing time and appetite left for orienteering were spent on drafting a 72-page-long guideline for the organisers of major IOF MTBO events to share my decade-long experience of organizing and controlling several MTBO World Championships and even more World Cup events. It is time to get back to writing a bit about international orienteering and the IOF. There were a few changes. The IOF became even more political, more conscious of the l ..read more
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Is the IOF governed by the Rule of Law?
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
1y ago
On 1 July the IOF General Assembly will vote on the confirmation of the indefinite suspension of the Russian and Belorussian Orienteering Federations by the IOF Council. In this suspension process, the IOF Council violated the Statutes, the Code of Ethics, and several core principles of due process required in civilized democratic environments. The IOF Ethics Panel helped this process by turning a blind eye to the violation of the Code of Ethics by the Council. This case gave a feeling of elements of historic lynching exercised in the US South and feudal despotism, but not of a democratic proc ..read more
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103% support for the IOF Council
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
1y ago
33 of the 32 registered delegates supported the Statue Amendments proposed by the IOF Council at the Extraordinary General Assembly on 25 March 2022. This 103% approval is a remarkable achievement considering the additional 6 against and 4 abstaining votes, according to the Official Minutes of the EGA. (also on pages 29-34 of the Agenda and Background Papers of the XXXI Ordinary General Assembly) This remarkable voting record means that the 2/3 majority required for the changes of the Statutes has been achieved. The authenticity of the Minutes shall be above doubt, as it was signed by the Pres ..read more
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The Olympic Dream – lost without a trace
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
1y ago
The Olympic Dream was the guiding light of the IOF for decades. It was the driving force for many activities, and a substantial amount of money was spent to chase the Dream. It is still part of the Competition Rules in the form of the Leibnitz Convention. The IOF President has repeatedly confirmed his commitment to pursuing the Olympic Dream. “Foot Orienteering has a chance and ski orienteering has a realistic chance to be a part of the Olympic Games program”. Leho Haldna, IOF President (2016) Yet, in 2022 the Olympic Dream was lost without a trace in the Strategic Directions proposed to the ..read more
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War Hate Peace
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
2y ago
It is dangerous to talk about Peace when a barbaric mad War waged by a few results in an indiscriminate Hatred against many. I know that I will be shot at from many sides for speaking up against indiscriminate hate instead of raging against Russians. But it is our responsibility, who live in peaceful corners of the world, to speak up against getting succumbed to hate and to try to make sense of the world. We shall try to steer things in a way that increases the chances of lasting peace instead of engrained animosity. Putin’s plan works. The old KGB fox knows that people love to hate. Hate make ..read more
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Promoting peace through sports
IOF Reflections
by iofreflections
2y ago
A horrible situation is unfolding in Ukraine. It is not excusable that Putin started a war. There shall be consequences to Russia also in the world of sport to express the deep disapproval of the actions of Putin by the international community. Not organising IOF events in Russia is a step the IOF had to take (obliged by the IOC). It is a symbolic step because no major events are planned in Russia in any of the orienteering disciplines, but an important symbolic step. So far, so good. The reason why I felt that I have to write a post is the letter of the Ukrainian Orienteering Federation sent ..read more
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