The IOF Podcast

Switzerland's Tino Polsini started the new World Cup season as he ended the previous - with a win on home soil. This time the individual sprint in Locarno in the first World Cup Round of 2026.  In this episode of the IOF Podcast, we talk about his win - and look ahead to the World Cup Round in Sweden. Photo: Simon Buser

Norway's Pia Young Vik had an amazing 2025 season. In her just second year as a senior, she won the EOC Sprint in Belgium, took the silver in KO Sprint two days before and another silver with her teammates at the WOC Relay in Finland. In this episode she talks about the season and looks ahead at 2026. Interviewer: Erling Thisted, IOF Photo: Silke van Rooy, EOC 2025

The 2025 international orienteering season took us to Sweden, Finland, Belgium and Switzerland and provided a lot of great and memorable moments. Together with IOF TV Expert Commentator Jonas Merz we look back on the season and look forward to the next one. There are also interviews with Overall World Cup winner Max Peter Bejmer (SWE) and European KO Sprint Champion Cécile Calandry. Photo: Silvan...

Mathias Barros-Vallet sprinted his way to a huge surprise when he won the sprint at the European Orienteering Championships in Belgium in August. The 22-year-old Frenchman had never finished better than 10th in a World Cup race before, but managed to beat the entire world elite on the technical course in Lier. Here in the IOF Podcast he talks about the preparations, the race itself and looks forwa...

Belgium is hosting its first major IOF championship, as the 2025 European Orienteering Championships and World Cup Round 2 takes place this week. Newly crowned World Games sprint champion Yannick Michiels and 21-year-old Tille de Smul share their local insigths and expectations for the championships. Interviewer: Erling Thisted

The 2025 World Orienteering Championships in Finland are just around the corner and we talk to the home nation's Ida Haapala about qualifying for the championships on home soil, having Thierry Gueorgiou as coach and her expectations for the three races in her "backyard" in Kuopio. Interview and Photo: Erling Thisted

Hanna Lundberg (SWE) catapulted herself into the absolute top of the orienteering world, when she surprisingly won the middle distance at the World Cup in Idre Fjäll in 2021 at just 19 years old. Now the prestigious tournament returns to the Swedish mountains of Idre and Hanna Lundberg looks back on both her victory then and the season to come. Interviewer: Erling Thisted Photo: William Hollowell

It's 10Mila time and you can follow all the action from Finspång, Sweden in the weekend 3-4 May, 2025 on IOF TV with English, Swedish and Finnish commentary. Together with expert commentator Jonas Merz, we look into the terrain, the format and who are the favorites for this year's relays. Interviewer: Erling Thisted Photo: Peter Holgersson

Danish music artist MØ has spent the last 15 years creating some monster hits like Lean On and Final song and touring the world with her music. But what you probably don't know is that she is also a passionate orienteer, who took up the sport as a child and rediscovered the joy of orienteering a handful of years ago. In this episode of the IOF Podcast, she talks about her joy of orienteering, comp...

Eirik Langedal Breivik (NOR) had a remarkable fall season in 2024: Taking a surprise European title on the middle distance in Hungary, where he also was part of Norwegian relay team that won EOC gold - and then another win at the World Cup Final middle race in Finland in September. This episode was recorded the day before his World Cup win and takes us back to the warm Saturday afternoon in Hungar...

Karolin Ohlsson (SWE) achieved the best individual result of her career so far at the WOC 2024 KO Sprint in Scotland, where she won the silver medal behind compatriot Tove Alexandersson.  In this episode of the IOF Podcast, we watch the final with Karolin to relive it from her point of view. So join us for a trip to the slippery cobblestones of Edinburgh and one of the most intense races of the 20...

Andrine Benjaminsen (NOR) played a big role in Norway's impressive performances at EOC in Hungary, where the Norwegians took seven medals and topped the medal standings. She won a relay silver and two individual bronze medals in the Hungarian heat and has hit a good shape this fall and look forward to the World Cup Final in Finland from September 26-29. In this podcast episode, she shares her thou...

Eef van Dongen (NED) took the orienteering world by surprise, when she won the bronze medal as Knock-Out Sprint made its debut on the WOC-program in Denmark in 2022.  In this podcast episode, she shares her memories from the day and look ahead to the upcoming World Orienteering Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland from July 12 - 16, 2024. She also tells about the setup for the Dutch national team...

The 2024 Orienteering World Cup begins in Olten, Switzerland this weekend. Simona Aebersold (SUI) starts the international season in great shape, she tells us in this podcast episode, where we also talk about her long distance World Champs title last summer and her "new role" in the Swiss national team. Interviewer: Erling Thisted, IOF Photo: Kristina Lindgren

This year's 10Mila relays take place in Nynäshamn in eastern Sweden May 4-5 with more than 6000 athletes. You can follow all three relays on close hand with IOF TV in both English and Finnish from Saturday afternoon. https://tv.orienteering.sport/ In this episode IOF TV expert commentator Jonas Merz shares his thoughts on the prestigious relays. Episode photo: Peter Holgersson Interviewer: Erling...

Daisy Kudre-Schnyder (EST) won four medals - two of gold - at the previous World Ski Orienteering Championships on homeground two years ago. This year, the world champs are held in Ramsau, Austria in a completely different terrain. Hear about Daisy's expectations, preparations and her take on who is favourite at WSOC. Interviewer: Erling Thisted

The Orienteering World Cup saw a new race winner in August, when Ralph Street (GBR) took his first ever win in the sprint in Czechia. He tells us what fell into place that day in Ceska Lipa, looks ahead at WOC 2024 in Edinburgh next summer and talks about being a sprint specialist or not. Interviewer: Erling Thisted Photo: Thomas Bubela / World Cup Czechia 2023

Tereza Janosikova had a great start to the autumn season, finishing second in the World Cup Sprint Relay in Ceska Lipa with Team Czechia. In this episode of the IOF Podcast, we talk about what that means for the upcoming European Orienteering Championships in Italy and how she has prepared for the three sprint races from October 4 - 8. Tereza is a part of IOF's athletes' commission as well and tel...

The international orienteering season 2023 ends with three fast races in northern Italy in the first week of October. A Sprint, a Sprint Relay and a Knock-Out Sprint make up the European Orienteering Championships and World Cup final from October 4 - 8. It’s the highlight of the year for Belgian Sprint specialist Yannick Michiels who is eager to follow up on his bronze medal from World Championshi...

Sweden's Sara Hagström has done impressive in the spring of 2023 and shares the lead in the Orienteering World Cup after her Middle distance win in Norway in April. After that, she went on to win both Tiomila women's relay and Venla with her club IFK Göteborg. Now it's time for the biggest goal of the season, World Orienteering Championships in Switzerland from July 12-16. Interviewer: Erling This...

The six-time world champion Matthias Kyburz (SUI) is one of the favorites ahead of World Orienteering Championships in his home country Switzerland from July 12-16, 2023. He tells us about his preparations for WOC, the advantage of running on home soil and looks back on his first ever WOC-medal, the gold in sprint at WOC 2012 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Interviewer: Erling Thisted

Gustav Bergman (SWE) has been part of the international orienteering elite for more than a decade and is ready for another international season - starting this Thursday with World Cup Round 1 in Østfold, Norway. Hear his thoughts on the terrain, the competitors and the importance of having won WOC-medals in similar terrain four years ago.

Linda Lindkvist (SWE) was unbeatable at the first three Ski Orienteering World Cup races in 2023 in Austria. In this episode, she gives us her explanation for the success and we look ahead to the European Ski Orienteering Championships in Latvia, Jan. 31st - Feb 5th 2023. Follow the ESOC-races on orienteering.sport.

Nikoline Splittorff had the best possible start to the World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships in Sweden in July 2022, when she won the Middle distance by nearly a minute. In this episode, she tells us how well she remembers the race and shares her thoughts on the importance of having other strong teammates in the Danish national team.