On Wednesday May 11th 2016, the inaugural World Orienteering Day (WOD) was held which saw Orienteering ACT first out of the blocks with a midnight event on Mt Ainslie run by a bunch of keen juniors and supported by their parents. This group was part of a world record attempt with more than 250, 000 participants taking part in an orienteering event on a specified day all around the world!
In 2017 numbers grew to 288,000 participants and by 2019 there were nearly 400,000. Schools, clubs, workplaces and individuals all over the world were making a fantastic contribution to orienteering visibility.
Like many activities, covid interrupted its flow but this year the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) sponsored WOD is back in the ACT – this time with a new twist!
World Orienteering Day 2016 
World Orienteering Day 2017
Canberra hosts World MAZE Race
For 2023 World Orienteering Day – 17th to 23rd May Canberra will stage a special free-fun-fast play in a MAZE! Known as World MAZERace it will be a great event to invite your friends and work colleagues to. Newcastle orienteer and inaugural MAZERace world champion Kas Gregory is our World MAZERace Ambassador. Try your hand at speed racing Kas, or just come along for a bit of MAZE fun.
Share the information flyer at your work or school.
Bring along some of your non-orienteering friends to have a go.
Canberra World MAZE Race will be on Sunday 21 May.
Turn up any time between 9am – 1pm
Patrick White Lawns (between the National Library and Lake Burley Griffin)
Bring friends and family for free-fast-fun play.
The Concept of World MAZERace
MAZERace is like a video game – when you pass level 1, you move up to the next level until you pass the last difficult level. Courses green, blue, red and black for training, and a final MAZE O Race for competition. Here’s what British orienteering does with the Maze concept.