The First International Conference on Orienteering in Scientific Research and Higher Education

Exercise enhances aspects of human cognition, but its benefits may depend on intensity. Recent animal research suggests that vigorous exercise, which releases greater amounts of lactate, activates more brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and, thus, may be optimal for supporting cognitive function. The cognitive benefits of exercise may be further augmented when combined with cognitive training. The sport of orienteering combines exercise with spatial navigation and, therefore, may confer greater cognitive benefits than exercise alone, especially at vigorous intensities. Our past work shows that expert orienteers report greater spatial memory abilities and more frequent use of desirable spatial navigation strategies (both allocentric and egocentric spatial processing) than active, non-orienteering controls. Because orienteering is often described as a “sport for life”, long-term participation in the sport could provide continuous rehearsal of effective navigational strategies. However, acute bouts of vigorous exercise alone have also been shown to increase cognitive function and BDNF in young and older adults. We therefore examined whether an acute bout of vigorous orienteering elicits even greater cognitive and BDNF responses than vigorous exercise without navigation or moderate intensity orienteering. Sixty-three recreationally active, young adults (Mage = 21.10±2.75 years) with no prior orienteering experience completed a 1.3 km intervention course by navigating and exercising at a vigorous (80–85% heart rate reserve (HRR)) or moderate (40–50% HRR) intensity or exercising vigorously without navigation. When comparing pre- to post-exercise measures, both vigorous-intensity exercise and vigorous-intensity orienteering elicited greater peak lactate and greater increases in BDNF than moderate-intensity orienteering, and individuals with higher peak lactate also had greater increases in BDNF. Spatial memory increased only after vigorous-intensity orienteering, suggesting that vigorous-intensity orienteering may particularly benefit spatial cognition. Overall, the results demonstrate the benefits of vigorous exercise and navigation on human cognition and BDNF.

Read more about Emma's work in her PLOS One article (2024).

The first civilian orienteering competition was held nearly 130 years ago. In the early decades, the competitions used the existing maps of the respective countries, namely the official topographic maps. Moreover, at that time, these maps were classified in most European countries, but in the Nordic countries, they had been publicly available since the mid-19th century. During the Cold War period following World War II, topographic mapping became even more important, but secrecy remained a constant feature (in the countries of the Eastern Bloc, such maps remained classified until the 1990s). Advances in aerial photography and stereophotogrammetry had by this time made it possible to produce increasingly accurate maps, particularly in terms of contour line representation. The sport was growing in popularity, and the first competition maps specifically designed for the orienteering had already been produced in the Nordic countries. The cost of reproducing colour maps has also decreased, and as the number of participants in orienteering competitions has grown, printing colour maps has become increasingly affordable for larger orienteering events. Following the founding of the IOF in 1961, international competition began with the 1962 European Championships (although such competitions were already a regular occurrence in the Nordic countries by that time), and it became increasingly clear that standardizing the map specifiation for orienteering maps was the most urgent task. In 1965, the IOF Map Committee was established, comprising experienced experts delegated by the countries with the most experience in the sport, who, based on their cartographic knowledge, articulated the following principles:
- The orienteering maps must show the actual situation.
- They must show all visible features that are easily identifiable and useful for the competitors.
- It is very important to show all details that effect the route choice.
- The legibility is most important: leave out all unnecessary features.
- The maps of the international events have to use the same legend in all countries.
Thanks to digital technology, cartography has advanced significantly since then, and orienteering has become a globally practiced sport. However, the principles regarding orienteering maps formulated by the IOF Map Committee established a set of general cartographic guidelines that remain valid to this day.