From May 10 to 18, the Russian Orienteering Championship was held in Nakhodka (Primorsky Krai) at the picturesque Raduga Recreation Centre. Raduga had never before hosted such a significant orienteering event. This competition was crucial because it determined the fate of tickets to the 25th Summer Deaflympics in 2025. The games will be held in Japan from November 15 to 26.
It is no coincidence that Primorye became the arena for the country's best orienteers to compete. The unique landscape, varied terrain, azure sea, and mild climate created ideal conditions for both the competition and the participants' recreation.
The national championship for the deaf is no different from other similar competitions: the same checkpoints, the same orienteering maps, the same spirit of competition. Forty-three athletes took part in the competition: 20 women and 23 men, including champions and medallists of the Deaflympics, World and European Championships, representing eight regions: Moscow, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Volgograd Region, Perm Krai, Sverdlovsk Region, and Krasnodar Krai.
The competition program was extremely intense: six days of competition—three individual and three team events, including gruelling relays. Each race, which took place in the forest, on the training ground, and in part of the local camp, was a test of endurance, accuracy, and team cohesion. Participants competed in sprints, classic races, long races, and relays—in groups of three, two (one man and one woman), and four (two men and two women).
Regardless of the results, each participant left Primorye with vivid memories of the unique nature and warm welcome, as well as competitive experience.
The organizers ensured a high level of tournament organization, and according to the participants, the championship became not only a selection stage, but also a real sporting celebration. Ahead lies Japan and the 2025 Deaflympics, and Primorye has once again confirmed its status as a hospitable and worthy venue for all-Russian competitions.
Nikolai Zoria, senior coach of the Russian national orienteering team: “As a result, the coaching team determined the optimal individual conditions for temporary adaptation for the members of the national team, established individual perceptions of terrain relief, and conducted the selection of the national team. We can say with confidence that the tasks set have been accomplished.”
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Artemii Antonov
Photos: Nikolai Zoria, Maxim Chistov
Translation: Daria Kudelina
