Starting Times and Award Ceremony for Children's Categories

Published: 13.11.2024

We have received feedback regarding the starting times and award ceremony for the children's categories. It has been requested that starting times for participants in the children's categories be randomly assigned. Additionally, there has been a request for awards to be presented to children on a podium.

The purpose of the randomized starting times is to bring a sense of community back to the children's categories. Closer starting times for participants in the same category allow young athletes to get to know others of the same age group who share their interest in the sport. Setting off into the forest can also feel safer and more enjoyable for children when they know their friends are there with them.

We have decided to return to pre-assigned starting times in the children’s H/D8-14 categories. In these categories, starting times will be assigned in the same way as in the elite H/D16-21E categories. For other categories, H/D16-95, we will continue to use self-selected starting times, which gives families flexibility in planning the day's schedule and activities. Starting times for the children’s and elite categories will be assigned before self-selected times are available, allowing the children’s times to be taken into account.

A shared award ceremony has also been seen as a valuable experience for the children, one that they can remember for a long time. The awards ceremony also serves as a meeting point for participants in the same category. To support the sense of community in the sport, the overall competition awards for the children’s H/D8-14 categories will be presented on the podium on the final competition day, once the results are finalized.