The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) and World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) will both be getting under way in Europe this weekend.

JWOC is taking place in Poland with a full Australian team of six men and six women. The first race is the sprint, on Sunday afternoon. Australia will go into the sprint with high hopes, particularly in the men’s event where several team members have performed well at senior domestic level this year. The remaining events are the long distance on Monday, the middle distance on Wednesday (qualification) and Thursday (final), and the relay on Friday.

48 Australians will take the field at the World Masters at Pecs in southern Hungary, which starts with the sprint this weekend (qualification on Saturday, final on Sunday). Previous Australian WMOC medallists in the field are Hermann Wehner (M85) and Jim Russell (M50); others who have good chances for high placings include Susanne Casanova (W35), Grant McDonald (M50) and Ted van Geldermalsen (M55). Australia also has one of the oldest competitors in the event, Paul Adrian, who is one of six entrants in M90 (there is also one M95). Remaining events are the two long distance qualification events (Tuesday and Wednesday) and the long final (Friday).