For the first time in history, India\u2019s flag was raised at the World Master\u2019s Orienteering Championship (WMOC), as Bengaluru\u2019s Sayeesha Sridhara Kirani represented the nation at the prestigious event held in Girona, Spain. The championship was organized by the Catalan Orienteering Federation (FCOC) and sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), Sweden.<\/p>\n
Sayeesha Sridhara Kirani<\/strong><\/p>\n Competing among over 3,000 athletes from 50 countries, Sayeesha created a landmark moment as the only and first Indian athlete ever to participate in this century-old sport\u2019s world master\u2019s championship. Orienteering, also known as the \u201cThinking Sport,\u201d tests both the body and the mind.<\/p>\n About Orienteering \u2013 A Global \u201cThinking Sport\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Originating in Sweden more than 100 years ago, Orienteering combines speed, stamina, and sharp decision-making skills. Athletes navigate through unknown terrain using only a specialized map and compass, racing across forests, cities, mountains, or even water and snow. The sport features multiple disciplines \u2013 Foot-O (Sprint & Forest), MTB-O, Kayak-O, and Ski-O \u2013 with age categories ranging from under-10 to 100 years.<\/p>\n Globally recognized for developing cognitive skills, leadership, and decision-making, Orienteering is part of the World Games and is gearing up for its entry into the Olympics.<\/p>\n Sayeesh\u2019s Journey \u2013 Inspiring the Next Generation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cStanding at the start line in Spain as the only Indian gave me goosebumps,\u201d said Sayeesha Sridhara Kirani. \u201cThis journey is bigger than me\u2014it\u2019s about writing India\u2019s story in Orienteering. I believe that with the right ecosystem, we can nurture talent and create opportunities for Indian athletes to make their mark on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Under his leadership, NthAdventure Orienteering Club has been building the sport from the ground up \u2013 conducting training, workshops, races, and awareness programs. In 2024, the club clinched one Gold and two Silver medals at the Indonesia Orienteering Championship and represented India at the Asian Orienteering Championship in Thailand and Singapore.<\/p>\n The Road Ahead \u2013 Building an Indian Orienteering Ecosystem<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNthAdventure has been working relentlessly to bring Orienteering to India \u2013 not just as a sport, but as a tool for youth development, adventure tourism, and life-skills training,\u201d said Ajita Madan, Founder of NthAdventure. \u201cSayeesh\u2019s achievement is proof that India holds immense untapped potential in Orienteering. Our mission now is to build athletes for upcoming Asian and World Championships, host internationally recognized events in India, and prepare for the World Games 2029. With the right support from government and other stakeholders, India has the opportunity to emerge as a serious global contender.\u201d<\/p>\n NthAdventure is now training Indian athletes for the upcoming Indonesian Orienteering Championship and Abu Dhabi Open Masters Games \u2013 Orienteering, alongside the 4th Edition of Namma Adventure Race in Karnataka. The organization invites brands, communities, and partners who share the vision of empowering youth through adventure and sports to join hands and support this growing movement.<\/p>\n Call to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n Orienteering in India is still at a nascent stage, but the passion and potential are undeniable. NthAdventure invites schools, educational institutions, corporates, government bodies, private clubs, and sports enthusiasts to come together in shaping India\u2019s Orienteering journey.<\/p>\n Connect with NthAdventure: www.nthadventure.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the first time in history, India\u2019s flag was raised at the World Master\u2019s Orienteering Championship (WMOC), as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1778"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1871,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778\/revisions\/1871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rvrising.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}