International Orienteering Federation

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. The IOF head office is located in Helsinki, Finland.

The IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering.

History

The IOF was founded on 21 May 1961 at a Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark by the orienteering national federations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. By 1969, the IOF represented 16 countries, including its first two non-European member federations representing Japan and Canada, and in 1977 the IOF was recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Membership

As of August 2011, the membership of the IOF comprises 73 national orienteering federations, of which 52 are full members, 21 are provisional members, divided into six geographical regions.