Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Azerbaijani athletes performed successfully in the European Orienteering Championships, Azerbaijan's Orienteering Federation announced.

The Championships were held in Portugal on April 9-16.

"Sprint heats became successful for Azerbaijani athletes," the report says. "All the team members went through the 'Sprint Qualification' distance and managed to reach the final. This year's European championship was notable for its complexity and especial competitiveness. Athletes had to run a distance of 3.0 kilometers and register themselves on the 26 checkpoints in the final sprint competition in Palmela on April 13. As a result, the Azerbaijani team took the 40th place out of 64 countries. This is a great achievement for our federation which is participating for the first time in the European Orienteering Championships."

Long- and middle-distance races were also held during the championships. Azerbaijan's Muvassil Allahverdiyev registered himself at all the checkpoints and reached the finish line before the other three athletes.

Members of Azerbaijani national team held several meetings with the national team of Sweden within the framework of the European Championship, and participated in their training. The Europeans were provided with information about the development of orienteering in Azerbaijan and the projects implemented over the past two years.

Azerbaijan's Orienteering Federation invited athletes to participate in the Heydar Aliyev Cup international championship which will be held in the Khachmaz region on May 30-June 1.

Orienteering is a sport that combines both physical and mental elements. The basic idea in orienteering is to proceed from the start point to the finish line by visiting a number of control points in a predetermined order with the help of a map and compass.

In order to choose the best possible route, the orienteers can look at terrain characteristics, and the winner is someone who completes the course ahead of the others. What is unique in orienteering is that an orienteer must navigate and make quick decisions while running at high speed.

The European Orienteering Championships were first held in 1962. They have been held biennially since 2000. The current championship events are relay - three-person teams in long distance, middle distance, and sprint competitions.