Genoa, capital of Orienteering

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October Genoa hosts the final of the Italian Sprint Cup in Bolzaneto and the Italian orienteering team relay championships at Piani di Praglia, in the municipality of Ceranesi: a double prestigious event that will bring around 500 athletes from many Italian regions and from abroad.

Two events that are part of a broader and more ambitious program that aims to enhance and promote this sport in the Ligurian territory that was born in Scandinavia between the 19th and 20th centuries and quickly spread to many parts of the world.

The event will be managed, in collaboration with local administrations, by the "Genoa 2026 Committee", made up of the Genoa Amateur Orienteering Association and the CSI Genoa.

This is the same team responsible for organizing the double World Cup event in 2024, in Voltri and Nervi, and the Absolute World Championships in 2026 which will attract thousands of athletes and enthusiasts to Liguria.

“If for the Piani di Praglia it is the confirmation of a tradition that has seen the best orienteers compete on its fascinating and wild terrain for more than 40 years, for Bolzaneto it is a nice novelty – explains Gianluca Carbone, Event Director and FISO national councilor – In fact, we want to bring this sport truly among the people, in an area often outside of important sporting events, and to allow anyone who wants to try it to find a path suited to their abilities and to compete with the strongest athletes in the sector".

The competition categories range from 10 to 80 years, in line with the founding values ​​of orienteering, designed specifically to guarantee the participation of athletes of any age and ability.

“A principle perfectly in line with the nomination of Liguria as the European Region of Sport 2025 – comments the regional councilor for Sport Liguria Simona Ferro. – Our desire is in fact to promote outdoor disciplines that encourage the practice of sports by all Ligurian citizens, without any distinction: sports such as orienteering will help us achieve our ambitious goals".

The press conference presenting the double appointment next weekend took place in the Colombo room of the Liguria Region building.

“Orienteering is a discipline that links Sport and Tourism in a special way thanks to its ability to enhance the territory through the competitive routes that in this edition will cross Genoa, allowing athletes to explore our heritage in the open air – explains Alessandra Bianchi, councilor to the Sport of the Municipality of Genoa - The Italian Cup, however, will not be the only event of this discipline that we will host on our territory, we will witness a prestigious crescendo that will lead to the World Cup in 2024 and the world championships in 2026".

Also speaking at the presentation press conference were the president of CONI Liguria Antonio Micillo, the Sports councilor of the Municipality of Ceranesi Carlo Rebora and the president of the Genoa committee of the CSI Enrico Carmagnani.

“The CSI has been the primary Ligurian reference for nature sports for some years now and this also owes to its relationship with partners of the caliber of FISO – underlines Enrico Carmagnani – who have embraced our sports projects. When Gianluca Carbone and his team invited us to join the team by making both our structures and organizational skills available, it was not difficult to respond with enthusiasm".