Latvia O-WEEK bulletin 2

DEAR ORIENTEERING FRIENDS,

We invite you to the World Orienteering Championships 2018 and Latvia O-week! Discover

Latvia for yourself: it is a small pearl of the Baltic countries where you will be able to enjoy a very special flavour of orienteering in the cultural, architectural and historical aura of Riga and in the charming scenery and historical atmosphere of Sigulda. The participants of LATVIA O-WEEK will be the lucky ones to explore orienteering areas similar to those anticipated at the WMOC. Every visitor will be able to find routes in Latvia that best suit his or her wishes and interests – be it nature, architecture, history, sports, adrenaline, cuisine or adventure.
Therefore we invite you to visit the most popular tourist attractions that are located just a couple of kilometres away and are convenient to reach. 2018 is the year of Latvia’s 100th anniversary. Special preparations for this occasion are on-going in Latvia, and WOC 2018 will be among the centenary celebration events.

Looking forward to see you in Latvia!
Jānis Lazdāns,
WOC2018 Event Director

PROGRAMME

Saturday, 4 August
WOC: sprint
LOW: Day 1, Riga, Kronvalda Park – sprint. First start at 12:00
Arena location: 56.955674, 24.107867
Motto of the day: The architecture of Riga where the centuries meet!
The spectator race will take place immediately after the WOC sprint qualifications in the same competition area.
Nearby, within a 10-minute walking distance, the WOC sprint finals will be held in the afternoon, to be followed by the World Orienteering Championships opening ceremony in the evening.
[old map]

Sunday, 5 August
WOC: sprint relay
LOW: Day 2, Carnikava – long distance. First start at 9:00
Arena location: 57.139570, 24.265320

Motto of the day: the sea, sand, dunes, wind...!
The competition area is within a 30-minute drive from Riga. The terrain is very similar to that of the WMOC 2019.
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11:00-16:00 Indoor orienteering competition in the building of the National Library. No entry fee. Not included in o-week's overall score. Information here: https://www.woc2018.lv/Indoor/

Monday, 6 August
Rest day for WOC and LOW participants; excursions.

Tuesday, 7 August
WOC: middle distance.
LOW: Day 3, Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum, forest sprint. First start at 9:00
Arena location: 56.992880, 24.266548

Motto of the day: Echoes of the p ast of the Latvian nation!
Entrance to the Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum only via Ezera gate. Please produce your number bib or make your registration.
After having completed the course you can take a museum tour.

The Open Air Museum is situated close to the Riga border on the route to Sigulda. The terrain features a pine and spruce forest with a big dune and the aura of Latvia’s previous centuries. A 20 minute drive to the WOC middle distance arena.
[old map]

Wednesday, 8 August
LOW: Day 4, Sigulda, Laurenči – middle distance. First start at 9:00
Arena location: 57.140500, 24.816728

Motto of the day: The valley of the Gauja River - a painting by the nature!
The terrain of the WOC middle distance.
[old map]

Thursday, 9 August
WOC: relay.
Rest day for LOW participants; excursions.

Friday, 10 August
LOW: Day 5, Mazie Kangari – middle distance. First start at 9:00
Arena location: 57.033340, 24.729239

Motto of the day: Taste the diversity of Latvia’s forests!
A 25-minute drive from Sigulda. The terrain is similar to that of the WMOC 2019.
[old map]

Saturday, 11 August
WOC: long distance
Rest day for LOW participants; excursions.

Sunday, 12 August
LOW: Day 6, Turaida – long distance. First start at 9:00
Arena location: 57.187331, 24.850274

Motto of the day: Turaida – a pearl of nature and culture!
The terrain of the WOC long distance.
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GROUPS

A variety of groups depending on age and complexity, as well as beginners’ groups for youth and
adults. In groups MW8*;MW10*;MW12* and OPEN groups runners can enter directly on the race day.
WM8*, WM10*, WM12*, WM12, WM14, WM16, WM18, WM20, WM21E, WM21A, WM21B, WM35, WM40, WM45, WM50,
WM55, WM60, WM65, WM70, WM75, WM80, WM85, OPEN 1**, OPEN 2, OPEN 3**, OPEN 4
* - marked course: for MW8* and MW10* controls are right next to the marked line; for MW12* controls are up to 100 m from the marked line.
** - easy course: a technically easy course where route choice using roads is possible on many occasions.
E- elite; A – technically difficult; B - easy

RESULTS

Final results will be published on the website; on-line results will be available for the current day.
The day’s winning runner in each group will score 1000 points. All other competitors will be scored as follows: winner’s time divided by the runner’s time and multiplied by 1000.
For the purposes of Latvia O-Week overall score, runner’s 5 best scores will be used.

PRIZE-GIVING

Prize-giving ceremony will be held in competition arena on the last competition day at 14:00.
Runners having won the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place in the group according to overall score will be awarded. Only the winner will be awarded in groups with 3 or less competitors.
Single day winners and winners of OPEN courses will not be awarded.
The winners will be awarded with medals, competition souvenirs and/or sponsor prizes.
Awarded competitors who are not able to attend the prize-giving ceremony will be contacted to arrange the way for delivering their prizes.

ENTRIES

Entries should be made via the website www.lof.lv/o-week/?lng=en.
Registration form and entered participants can be viewed here:
https://lof.lv/o-week/?lng=en

- Entries are open starting from 1 December 2017;
- It is possible to register even for one LOW day;
- The entries are confirmed only after the payment has be received.
The entry fee is quoted per day.

A 15% discount will be applied to the entry fee if entry is made for all 6 days.
If a registered competitor cancels his/her entry by 09.07.2018 23:59, the entry fee will be refunded in full amount (100%); if cancellations are made between this date and 20.07.2018 23:59, 50% of the entry fee will be refunded; for cancellations made after this date no money will be refunded.
When making the entry, it is possible to order the official WOC 2018 fan T-shirt or mesh running shirt. Price – EUR 25.
T-shirts will be available for sale in the arenas as well.
Special offer – An entry to LATVIA O-week may become a gift to your friend, wife, daughter, son, boss, competitor,… . After having registered for the event and settled the payment, you can print out the gift card.

COURSE LENGTHS

According to the IOF/LOF rules depending on the age group.
OPEN1**            1.5-2.5 km
OPEN2                  3.0-4.5 km
OPEN3**            4.0-5.0 km
OPEN4                  5.5-7.5 km
Exact course lengths for all groups and all days will be specified in Bulletin 3

PUNCHING SYSTEM

SPORTident Punching will be in contact mode by placing the card in the station. Please specify your SI-card number upon entry. Rental SI-cards are for a fee, EUR 2 per day. The rental fee for a SI-card at the event centre is EUR 3. The value of a lost or damaged rented
SPORTident card should be reimbursed to the organisers and is EUR 60.

TRANSPORT

Suggested means of transport is own or rental cars and minibuses from Riga International Airport (RIX) to the competition areas. WOC 2018 Official Rental Car Partner is

www.alpharent.lv. Please quote „WOC2018 team” in the Notes section and you will get a special price.
There is an excellent train connection from Riga city centre to Sigulda. The train running schedule is here:

www.pv.lv/en/
As to other means of public transport, see:

www.1188.lv/en/transport/buses

PARKING

In Riga, there will be no designated parking on LOW Day 1. The participants have to seek parking space in public parking areas. On LOW Day 2 to Day 6, there will be designated parking lots for participants.
The price of a car pass is EUR 3 per day. Information about passes for other vehicle types will follow.
The pass for minivans with 16 or more passenger seats and buses is EUR5 per day.

PAYMENTS

All payments have to be made to:
SIA "O! Latvija"
Registration No.: 40103795862
Mailing address: Dārza iela 2, Rīga, Latvia
Bank: AS Luminor Bank
SWIFT: RIKOLV2X
IBAN: LV91RIKO0002930175825
Any questions about payments should be asked by e-mail to: lof@lof.lv

ACCREDITATION

Each participant gets his/her accreditation and competition materials at the Event Office or at the competition centre on competition days.
Competitors must also pay any remaining charges before they can collect their envelopes.
Payments can be made in cash; payment is accepted only in EUR.
We kindly ask the competitors to allow enough time for settling the accreditation and payments in order to avoid being late for the start.

EVENT OFFICE

Event Office will be situated in Sigulda, Raiņa iela 3.
Working hours:
Thur, 2 Aug 10:00-20:00
Fri, 3 Aug 10:00-20:00
Mon, 6 Aug 11:00-19:00

Event Office working hours in arenas on LOW race days:
Day 1 10:00-14:00 Kronvalda parks
Days 2-6 8:00-13:00 Respective arenas

OTHER

On all race days the starting times for competitors in groups MW14 - MW85 are according to the draw.If a competitor is late for his/her start, he/she is admitted to start anytime, and the result is calculated according to the starting minute in the start list.
Competitors in groups MW8* - MW12* and OPEN may start freely anytime in the sequence of appearing on the start and keeping a 2minute interval after the previous starter.
Each competitor participates in the event at his/her own risk. All competitors who take part in the LOW 2018 must consider any risks and take their own safety precautions, and will be totally responsible for any injuries which might occur to them during the races as well as for any accidents on the way to and from any event during LOW 2018.
ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE RECOMMENDED TO ACQUIRE AN ACCIDENT INSURANCE POLICY THAT, IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, WILL COVER ALL FEES FOR EVENTUAL RETRIEVAL, RESCUE AND TRANSPORT TO THE HOSPITAL
The organiser of the event undertakes to act in compliance with the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation and Personal Data Processing Law effective in Latvia. Competitors agree that results are made public, and photos and videos taken by accredited photographers and cameramen may be used for publicity purposes. The organiser is not liable for publication of photos and videos taken by third parties.

SERVICES IN THE ARENAS

Drinking water after the finish, cafeteria, WC, medical aid, childcare for children starting with age of 3 years.

ACCOMMODATION

We have pre-booked hotels within ample price range both in Sigulda and in Riga. Please contact us
by writing an e-mail to: accommodation@woc2018.lv
More information about accommodations in Riga www.liveriga.com and Sigulda www.tourism.sigulda.lv
or www.entergauja.com

GROUP TOURS

Contacts of selected firms that organise trip to LATVIA O-week and WOC 2018:
Daniel’s Travels, www.danielstravels.fi
Swiss O Tours, www.swissotours.ch
Please write to oweek@woc2018.lv to add or remove a tour organiser.
On rest days, excursions in Latvia and transfers to/from the airport will be provided by travel agency
“Jēkaba ceļojumi”, www.jekaba.lv.

VISAS

Nationals of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and any third-country national holding a residence permit of a Schengen State do not need a visa to enter Latvia.
For more information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/consular-information/entry-into-latvia

CLIMATE AND HAZARDS

August in Latvia is the second warmest month of the year, with average temperatures between 18°C and 20°C, while maximal temperature up to 30°C is possible. July and August are also the months most abundant in precipitation. In August, already during a course of many years, in 13-16 days on average are rainy, with average monthly rainfall amount throughout Latvia 78 mm.
Ticks, carrying encephalitis and Lyme-disease are common in Latvia.