The North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC) is a biennial orienteering event organized by the International Orienteering Federation.
Originally, the North American Orienteering Championships consisted of just two forest races. The competition was held in odd-numbered years until 1977, after which it changed to even numbered years starting in 1980. A sprint race was added to the program in 2006. The event's location always alternates between Canada and the United States. The NAOC has been held in conjunction with other orienteering competitions such as the Canadian Orienteering Championships (1990, 1998, 2018, 2024) and the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships (1990, 2002).
The current championship events are a long distance, middle distance, sprint distance, and either a forest relay or sprint relay. The events can take place in any order. The competition has open age and gender categories as well as an elite category. Throughout the competition, points earned by Canadian and American competitors in the elite categories are added up. The team with the most points is declared the winner and is awarded the Bjorn Kjellstrom Cup, first awarded in 1980. +Competition format Distance NotesLong distance 70–80 min (women)90–100 min (men) Middle distance 30–35 min Sprint 12–15 min Forest Relay 105–135 min Three-person teamsSprint Relay 55–60 min Mixed four-person teams
Venues and winning teams Year Dates Location Host Club(s) Winning team 1971 6—7 November Dumfries, Virginia Quantico Orienteering Club 1973 1—2 September Gatineau Park, Quebec Ottawa Orienteering Club 1975 24—25 May Bear Brook State Park, New Hampshire New England Orienteering Club 1977 8—9 October Lachute, Quebec Ramblers Orienteering Club 1980 1—2 November Brecksville Reservation, Ohio Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club Canada 1982 21—22 August Carberry, Manitoba Manitoba Orienteering Association United States 1984 6—7 October Harriman State Park, New York Hudson Valley Orienteering Club Canada 1986 16—17 August Milton and Barrie, Ontario Hamilton King's Foresters Canada 1988 29—30 October Hickory Run State Park, Pennsylvania Delaware Valley Orienteering Club Canada 1990 11—12 August Caroline, Alberta Alberta Orienteering AssociationEdmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club Canada 1992 7—8 November Prince William Forest Park, Virginia Quantico Orienteering Club Canada 1994 20—21 August Barrie, Ontario Hamilton King's Foresters Canada 1996 19—20 October Meramec State Park, Missouri St. Louis Orienteering Club Canada 1998 2—3 August Bonaparte Provincial Park and Merritt, British Columbia Sage Orienteering Club Canada 2000 28—29 October Harriman State Park, New York Hudson Valley Orienteering Canada 2002 13—14 July Dalmuir, Alberta Foothills Wanderes Orienteering ClubEdmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club Canada 2004 29—30 May Cleveland, Ohio Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club Canada 2006 6—9 October Hamilton and Milton, Ontario Golden Horseshoe Orienteering Canada 2008 26—28 September Altmar and Fayetteville, New York Central New York Orienteering Canada 2010 2—4 July Cranbrook, British Columbia Kootenay Orienteering ClubFoothills Wanderers Orienteering ClubGreater Vancouver Orienteering Club United States 2012 18—21 October Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania Delaware Valley Orienteering Club United States 2014 10—13 October Arnprior, Ontario Orienteering Ottawa United States 2016 23—25 September Hanover, New Hampshire Orienteering USA Canada 2018 18—21 August Whitehorse and Carcross, Yukon Yukon Orienteering Association United States 2020 Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2022 2023 28–31 July Truckee, California Bay Area Orienteering ClubCascade Orienteering Club United States 2024 6—11 August Kingston and Calabogie, Ontario Orienteering Ottawa Canada 2026 28 December 2026—2 January 2027 Cochise County and Tucson, Arizona Tucson Orienteering
References
External links International Orienteering Federation