Portuguese Orienteering Federation (FPO), in cooperation with some of portuguese major clubs on national level, Clube de Orientação do Centro (COC), Clube de Orientação de Estarreja (Ori-Estarreja), Associação de Deficientes das Forças Armadas (ADFA), and Grupo Desportivo dos 4 Caminhos (GD4C), is hereby applying for the organization of WMOC 2008.

The FPO General Assembly, held on 30th October 2004, has officially approved the FPO application for the organization of World Masters Orienteering Championships 2008 (or 2009) in Portugal.

FPO and the above mentioned portuguese clubs have not only the capacity to organize WMOC 2008, but also any meetings held by IOF request before or during the Championships, and accompanying public O-events.

FPO is full member of the IOF since 1990, the year of it’s foundation.

Located on the west corner of Europe, Portugal is a small country with 10 million inhabitants, full member of the European Union since 1986, and joined Euro since the start of circulation. Portugal doesn’t has a large history of major Orienteering events, but has recently shown great professionalism and abilities in every major events, from which stands Football Euro 2004, Road Gymnics’ 2004 or World Expo’98.

On Orienteering grounds, FPO has organized Word Cup – Final Round in 2000 on the same region of this application, and that competition was held together with the IOF Congress 2000, in Sintra. FPO also organized ISF Orienteering Championships in this region in 2002 and CISM 2001 in Évora region.

FPO aims to organize WMOC 2008 also to continue the effort in spreading Orienteering in Portugal with an attractive media event more capable of awakening portuguese media.

COC, with 100 affiliated athletes, has a large experience on organizing major orienteering events in this region. These two were the biggest of them:

Portugal “O” Meeting (WRE) 2002 with 928 participants
Iberic Championships 2002 with 883 participants

Ori-Estarreja, with 80 affiliated athletes, has also a big experience on major portuguese events. The most important:

Iberic Championships 1998 with 607 participants
Portugal “O” Meeting in 2000 with 651 participants

ADFA, with 50 affiliated athletes, has successfully organized the above events on the recent editions:

Portugal “O” Meeting (WRE) in 2004 with 945 participants
Iberic Championships 2004 with 1103 participants

GD4C, with 70 affiliated athletes, has also organized the mentioned events and one “Latin Countries Cup”:

Iberic Championships 2000 with 617 participants
Portugal “O” Meeting (WRE) 2003 with 886 participants
Latin Countries Cup 2004 with 650 participants

Placed in Mafra (50 kms away from Lisbon and 90 kms from Leiria), FPO has actually 2.500 affiliated athletes spread among more than 70 clubs, and is pursuing the main goal of reaching 4000 athletes in 2006. Contributing to this main goal, FPO has been spreading the sport using National Portuguese Television (contract with 15 minutes coverage stories of FPO events every 15 days on open signal Tv2) – link to the site where all magazines can be downloaded from www.portugalecoaventura.pt/videos. FPO has also recently given to the 1.576 portuguese Basic and Secondary Schools and all affiliated clubs, a DVD recently produced and named “Learning Orienteering”.

FPO aims to organize WMOC 2008 also to continue the effort in spreading Orienteering in Portugal with an attractive media event more capable of awakening portuguese media.

Preliminary structure of the WMOC Organizing Committee:

WMOC Committee Chairman: POF’s President
WMOC Committee Vice-President: Fernando Costa (GD4C’s President)
WMOC Committee Head of International Relations: Mário Santos (COC)
WMOC Committee, Head of Care of Participants: Jorge Simões (POF)
WMOC Committee, Head of Technical Affairs: Jacinto Eleutério (ADFA)
WMOC Committee, Member – National Controller: José Carlos Pires (IOF Advisor)
WMOC Mapmaking Coordinator: Rui Antunes (COC)
WMOC General Manager: Carlos Monteiro (COC’s President)

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1.2. Our vision of WMOC

FPO and the organizer’s clubs will use the event’s promotion and all it’s media attention to promote and spread Orienteering trough the population, with particular focus on the student’s population, betting on a massive increase of the number of athletes, particularly among youngsters.

To reach that goal, FPO and the organizing committee, plan to gather schools on a national level to a parallel competition on school sport on nearby terrain of WMOC and arrival on the same place, to give an extra joy and energy to the competition.

Along with WMOC there will be an open event to all athletes every age.

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1.3. Our conception of WMOC

We acknowledge WMOC as a mixture of three major components: competition, tourism and enjoyment. We will try hard to offer terrain of high technical quality, welcome warmly every single participant and offer many different tourist programs.

Proposed dates for the event:

2008: 04 till 13 July (or: 11 till 20 July)
2009: 03 till 12 July (or: 10 till 19 July)

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1.4. Support given to our candidature by regional and local authorities

Civil Government of Leiria;
Artillery Regiment nº4, from Leiria;
District Association of Firemen, from Leiria;
Municipality of Leiria;
Municipality of Marinha Grande;
Tourism Region of Marinha Grande;
Portuguese Olimpyc Committee;
Portuguese Sports Institute (Under the Ministry of Sports and Youth);
GNR and PSP (police entities);
Comercial associations;
Private entities.

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1.5. Expected benefits for our city,region,and country

The Organizing Committee of WMOC believes that a good organization on every level will provide an important promotion, not only of the host cities but also of the region and the country.

As we already stated we also believe on the importance of this event to the promotion of Orienteering in Portugal.

With WMOC organization, we plan to provide a good media coverage to allow a greater acknowledgement by the population to the advantages of this sport: modern, interesting, ecological, intelligent and with top competition athletes.

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2. Candidate City, Event Center

2.1. General information, location

Leiria and Marinha Grande towns are separated only by 10 kms. Together they have about 170.000 inhabitants and are known in Portugal as the main centers of industrial production of plastic and glass.

They are 120 kms away from Lisbon and its international airport and 180 kms away from Oporto and its international airport.

On ground transportation, they are served by some of the best in Portugal: in motorways, A1 connects Lisbon and Oporto and goes trough Leiria and A8 connects Lisbon to Leiria going closer to the Atlantic Coast. By train, there is the West Line, from Lisbon going trough Marinha Grande and Leiria and the North Line with railway stations 30kms away from Leiria in Pombal and Fátima.

On tourism level, some of the best beaches of Portugal and the proximity of the peregrination center in Fátima, allows Leiria to have a very wide offer in accommodation and eating places.

20 Kms away is located Fátima Sanctuary which receives on an yearly basis 5 million visitors.

15/20 kms away are the beach coastal area offering the whole Atlantic Ocean with its wide sandy beaches

10 Kms away, there is a famous thermal location called Monte Real with healing capable waters.

On a 30 Kms surroundings there is a wide variety of some of the most important portuguese monuments like the Batalha Monastery and Alcobaça Monastery.

65 Kms away is placed Óbidos village (World Heritage).

90 Kms away, in Mafra (very close to FPO headquarters), there is the majestic National Palace of Mafra, celebrated on the awarded novel “Convent Memorial” written by the Nobel Prize Winner José Saramago.
Other attractions as theatres, cinemas, castles, cave and every regular night activities of coastal areas (bars, pubs, discos and others).

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2.2. Accomodation

The available accommodation in the region is wide and numerous. On a 20Kms surroundings, there are camping parks with bungalows, small pensions and guest houses, aparthotels and 2, 3, 4 or even 5 star hotels

IOF, VIP and MEDIA
They will be placed in hotels of the area according to the quality and price of the chosen service. All hotels are located on a 15 minutes maximum distance to the event center.

Spectators
These two towns and the nearby villages have a wide capacity to shelter every team official, competitor, spectator and every one linked or interested on this event.

Accommodation linked to local transportation
In a so well spread tourist location, there is a good network of road transportation connecting hotels and every major event location.

Tourist Information
Further information can be consulted in this website: www.rt-leiriafatima.pt.

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2.3. Location and structure for ceremonies

Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony will be held on the City Center of Leiria, to provide a greater contact with the local population. There are cultural activities planned to this location. After the events and on the resting day.

Prize-giving Ceremony
The Organizing Committee is planning to provide two different types of ceremonies:

- The first, already used on other major international events, is called the flower ceremony and will be held in the forest right after the end of each course with media coverage;

- The second, an official “gala” ceremony for all competitors, to be held on the city centers of Leiria or Marinha Grande. These ceremonies will take place with other cultural activities to attract other persons not familiar with Orienteering.

Banquet / WMOC party
It is planned a major banquet on a typical restaurant of the region on the resting day of the competition. The restaurant has capacity for 1500 guests and the event will be held with other cultural activities.

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2.4. Event Center, Location for Meetings and Press Center

The pavilion built for the Center of Economic Activities of Marinha Grande, placed 15 minutes away of the competition area is a big and modern structure with capacity for meetings, press center, and event center. It has also phone lines, computers and internet connections.

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3. Event Areas and Competition Center

The Organizing Committee has several areas, with different kinds of terrain, and different levels of difficulty. (Annex K).

The areas are all located on “Pine Forest of Leiria”, a wide area of pine spread along the coastal center of Portugal, with an area of about 11.500 hectares. This pine forest is also known as the “King Pine Forest”, because it was planted on the XIII century by King D. Dinis (1279-1325) who intensified the forest area, not only to stop the coastal sands that the winds carried to the inner areas, but also to provide for the sea and commercial goals of the Portuguese Crown.

3.1. Terrenos para o WMOC 2008 ou 2009

The map of Marinha Grande region, has the location planned for the competition areas.

On these locations new maps will be produced. The areas were never used on any kind of Orienteering Event.

Assuming as top priority on organizing this event (to find the best master runner on each competitive class) we tried to find the best terrain for that purpose. An area of mediterranean forest, with high visibility, many contour details, clean ground almost everywhere, without stone elements, with some paths, which will allow fast running according to each one’s technical and physical skills. We think that these are good features to provide a fair competition and allow the pleasure we’re sure every participant will feel going trough their courses (similar ground to the Final Round of the Individual Events of World Cup 2000.

Area 1: 10 Km2; 15 minutes from the event center;
Area 2: 10 Km2; 15 minutes from the event center;
Area 3: 10 Km2; 15 minutes from the event center;

Model Events: The new mapped areas will include new areas for model events.

click to enlarge...

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3.2. Telecommunications coverage

In every arrival area will be possible to create temporary press centers with the necessary tecnological equipments: telephone, fax and internet lines, besides office equipment. Three modern GSM networks operate in Portugal, so 96% of the country is covered by GSM signal.

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3.3. Information about the forest and landowners

The owner of every chosen area is Portugal itself, so there won’t be any problems with the necessary allowance to the areas. The coordination with the entity that manages the area will also happen to clean unnecessary thick vegetation.

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3.4. Names and experience of map makers

They are not known on international level, but Portugal has got a good school of map makers, with experience in many international events. Although we would like to give priority to our map makers, if IOF Event Advisor would suggest us to have another choice we would get a foreign map maker.

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4. Communications

4.1. Basic information about communications

Leiria and Marinha Grande are easily accessible by road or railway.

By air, the following airports are available: Lisbon – 120 Km; Oporto – 180 Km; Faro – 400 Km.

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4.2. Travel expenses and other possibilities in the area

Traveling in Portugal is relatively cheap. Altough there are tolls on the motorways, they are advisable to use. It is corrently possible to rent a car paying 25/30 euros/day. The price of petrol is currently rounding 0.85 euros /litre.

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5. Partnerships

The actual Organizing Committee has been established under the leadership of FPO president. It has been made a written agreement among individual associates and the clubs that are forming this Organizing Committee (the preliminary structure of the WMOC Organizing Committee can be consulted in 1. 1.)

Preparing this application, FPO has made preliminary contacts with the organizations and entities here included and necessary for this project, aiming the signature of deals with each one of them.

Contract with National Television – In the sequence of the contract already settled, it has been discussed an exclusive contract to cover WMOC. (it will in effect after the event has been assigned) providing direct and delayed TV coverage.

Further preliminary negotiations with environmental authorities, sponsors and media are also awaiting IOF’s decision.

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6. Budget for WMOC

Considering 3.500 participants, 100 media delegates and IOF and VIP representants: