Orienteering blooms in Mauritius

Orienteering blooms in Mauritius

Jaroslav Kacmarcik of the IOF Global Development Commission, together with Giulia Zenere from Park World Tour Academy, visited Mauritius in the beginning of October.

The goal of the visit was to help Mauritius and its Orienteering Federation join the IOF as provisional member in January 2022.

The week in Mauritius included many meetings with different stakeholders, including landowners positive to orienteering events, the cartography office of Mauritius, and the Ministry of Sport, as well as the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation.

During their visit, Jaroslav and Giulia also held a seminar at the Mauritius Institute of Education for 80 Physical Educators from different schools and grades, teaching them both theory and practical elements (pictured below). Furthermore, meetings with the Ministry of Education proved fruitful and they support the idea of standardising the teaching of orienteering in all schools in the country.

Jaroslav and Giulia also spent time with the local team forming Orienteering M, the Orienteering Federation in Mauritius, to discuss the short and medium term projects, such as implementing Orienteering at school level, facilitating the creation of local clubs in order to create the Federation and apply for IOF membership, and preparing for their first international event in November 2022.

Park World Tour Academy also supplied the newly formed local Federation with a SportIdent System, punchers, and other useful materials.