In May 2022 Expedition Africa was awarded the right to host the Adventure Racing World Championships in South Africa in 2023.
The 2023 edition of Expedition Africa will be the 11th edition of this international adventure race.
The Adventure Racing World Championship will take place in the Eastern Cape in October 2023 and with over 150 teams from 32 nations heading to the shores of South Africa, 2023 will be a celebration for Adventure Racing in Africa.
The Adventure Racing World Championship will be the 19th edition of this prestigious event. Every year a country is awarded the right to host this championship after completing a successful bidding process.
Expedition Africa has approached the South African Orienteering Federation (SAOF) to become an affiliated member. We are proud to announce that Expedition Africa has now been confirmed as an Associate Member of the South African Orienteering Federation.
The skill of navigation is the core discipline in the sports of orienteering and adventure racing, this mutual skill, sets it apart from other sports. This perfect synergy exists between these two sports and is internationally recognised.
Adventure racing draws on a variety of skill sets – that forms an integral part – of the sport of orienteering.
The standard and quality of maps, map interpretation and the general strategies that are applied by orienteers to successfully master the skill of orienteering can successfully be implemented by adventure racers in the sport of adventure racing.
Numerous adventure racers have started their navigation journey in the sport of orienteering and continue to compete in orienteering events all over the world to upskill their navigation abilities.
“ We at Expedition Africa and the Adventure Racing community worldwide are extremely excited to be associated with the South African Orienteering Federation and we are excited to see the partnership grow to promote both sports, here in South Africa and internationally. The synergy between the two sports focusing on the navigation skills of the competitors is a perfect match” Stephan Muller – Race director of Expedition Africa.
“The SAOF is excited to welcome Expedition Africa as an associate member. We believe that the two sports can benefit each other. It is no surprise that many extremely good orienteers have had successful Adventure Racing careers and in the same vein there have been some notable Adventure Racers who have competed well at the Orienteering world championships. This is as true in South Africa as it is around the world. With this relationship we hope that more athletes from one sport will test the fruits of the other. This can only be good for navigation sports in South Africa” Garry Morrison – President SAOF
Orienteering in South Africa was started in Cape Town in 1981 followed by Johannesburg in 1982. Clubs were founded shortly thereafter and the SAOF was formed in 1983. The first South African Orienteering Championships was held in 1983 in Cape Town, and it has been held annually ever since. The South African Orienteering Championships is well travelled and has taken place in Gauteng, Western Cape, Free State, KZN, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the Northwest Province.
The SAOF was accepted as a member of the IOF in 1992. Since 1993 the SAOF has sent teams to many World Orienteering Championships. The SAOF also regularly sends teams to the Junior World Orienteering Championships.
While the size of the orienteering community is small in South Africa, the active clubs put on a large number of high-quality events. This includes the flagship Big 5 Orienteering week that happens every two years over the New Year and attracts a sizeable international contingent. The SAOF actively pursues development as it seeks to make orienteering accessible to all South Africans.