The Central European Youth Orienteering Cup kicks off the spring season

The Central European Youth Orienteering Cup kicks off the spring season

More than 300 young competitors from 9 countries are registered for the 2026 Central European Youth Orienteering Cup, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. The event venue is Kroměříž, a town in the eastern part of Czechia. As is tradition, the program features three races: Friday’s relay, Saturday’s long distance, and Sunday’s sprint.

Terrain description for relay and long races: sloping terrain with a mixed forest, characterized by prominent valleys and erosion gullies. The area offers mostly good runnability though some parts of the map are covered with undergrowth.

Terrain description for sprint race: historic centre of Kroměříž – UNESCO Heritage site. The terrain consists of a network of paved streets, squares, park areas, passages between buildings and courtyards. The built environment is mostly historic with narrow and wide streets, walls and fences.

However, the event is not just about competition. We also strive to give young athletes the opportunity to meet successful athletes – Olympic competitors – who can serve as inspiration for their future careers. For example, many participants of CEYOC 2023 still remember the fantastic lecture on race walking given by Matěj Tóth, the 2016 Olympic champion from Rio de Janeiro.

And for this year, we have managed to secure a true star of Czech sports for a discussion with young athletes – Olympic medals holder and World Champion in biathlon Gabriela Soukalová (photo below). The talk, which will cover not only elite biathlon but also her early days in the sport, will be part of a combined ceremony scheduled for the evening of Saturday, March 28.

The event will also include the annual meeting of the Central European Orienteering Cooperation, which will be attended by representatives from all seven member federations —Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Poland. IOF President Tom Hollowell also attends the meeting as a guest.

“I’m very pleased to have been invited to this event; it will be an opportunity for me not only to greet the young competitors, but also to meet with representatives from our seven national federations at the CEOC meeting in the early evening to hear their views on the IOF’s strategic direction. Last but not least, I am also pleased to be able to actively participate in two orienteering races on Saturday and Sunday,” added Tom Hollowell.

More detailed information is available on the event website CEYOC 2026 | Meet. Learn. Compete.