Jukola
The Jukola is an international orienteering relay competition in Finland . Held on the third Saturday in June each year, the competition is one of the largest orienteering competitions in the world, attracting over 11,000 participants each year.
description
The competition consists of two relays: the actual "Jukola" (seven routes - for men) and the " Venla " (four routes - for women).
The Jukola is a high quality competition, in which the best orienteers in the world take part every year. Most teams, however, start under the Olympic motto “Being there is everything!”. The proportion of pure club teams is around 80%. Most of the others are company teams, but often also family teams or open relays with runners from several clubs whose common goal is to take part in this relay. Usually 30,000 to 40,000 people spend the night in the competition center, along with the participants, supervisors, family members and spectators.
The seven routes of the men's relay vary between 7 and 15 km. The start is on Saturday evening around 11 p.m. The runners on the first to third routes wear a headlamp, depending on the geographic location of the host region and the meteorological conditions. The winning team crosses the finish line on Sunday morning between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., but even when the finish line closes at 2 p.m., a few teams still arrive at the finish. The women's relay starts on Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m. The best teams need around three hours for the four routes with a length of 5 to 8 km.
The Jukola is usually organized by one to three clubs. These are selected from up to six candidates three and a half years before the competition. The organizing committee consists of ten to twenty people and works all the time towards the competition, where between 1200 and 1500 officials are on the field. Usually one to three people are employed on a part-time basis. Most, however, work on a voluntary basis, be they members of the organizing clubs or other people fascinated by the flair of the competition. It was never difficult to find helpers: 12,000 to 15,000 working days are volunteered for each Jukola. In addition to the start and finish, various other facilities must be set up in the competition center to ensure that the event runs smoothly: toilets, showers, sauna, restaurants, secretariat, media office, guest tent. There are also facilities for electricity, communication, water and sewage.
The organizers of the Jukola and the forest owners, hunters and ecologists have been meeting for years and are taking measures to minimize the effects of the Jukola on nature, e.g. B. through clever choice of the competition center, appropriate signaling, protection zones and considerate course setting. A comprehensive study, which was carried out from 1995 to 1999, shows that the few traces that the competition leaves on the terrain mostly disappear again within a very short time.
history
The name “Jukola” goes back to Aleksis Kivi , the Finnish national writer from the 19th century, and his epic “ Seitsemän veljestä ” (Eng. “The Seven Brothers”). The national character of this work gave the initiators of the season the idea. The name Venla also comes from Kivi's novel. Venla was the most adored of the seven brothers' girls. The Jukola logo was designed by artist Totti Noisniemi .
The Jukola was founded by the association of "Kaukametsäläiset", which means something like "hillbilly". The Kaukametsäläiset own the rights to the Jukola. The steering committee consists of one representative each from the Kaukametsäläiset, the Finnish orienteering association, the main sponsor and the Finnish army (the daily newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat" - 2004). It grants the right to host the Jukola and directs, supports and supervises the local organizers.
The first Jukola took place in 1949, when there were 41 all-male teams at the start. Since then it has been carried out annually in different regions of Finland. It is an honor for the respective region or the club located there to hold this relay competition. The cooperation and the passing on of information and experiences among the organizers has a long tradition. From 1951 an individual competition was held for women and the Venla has existed since 1978. The number of participants is currently increasing steadily and in recent years has reached 1350 teams at Jukola and 850 at Venla. The proportion of foreign teams is around 20% and is made up of around 20 nationalities.
Winner list Jukola
Most successful clubs
society | Victories | |
---|---|---|
Helsingin Suunnistajat | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1970 | |
Halden SK | 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2011 | |
Kalevan Rasti | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014 | |
Asikkalan Raikas | 1955, 1959, 1967, 1968 | |
Tampereen Pyrintö | 1961, 1962, 1963 | |
Liedon Parma | 1969, 1972, 1974 | |
Almby IK | 1981, 1984, 1985 | |
Bækkelagets SK | 1988, 1999, 2002 | |
NTHI | 1989, 1990, 1995 | |
Turun Suunnistajat | 1994, 1996, 2001 | |
IK Örnen | 1951, 1971 | |
OK ravines | 1980, 1982 | |
Vehkalahden Veikot | 1983, 2006 | |
IFK Södertälje | 1986, 1991 | |
Hämeenlinnan Suunnistajat | 1954 | |
XYZ | 1958 | |
Tampereen Poliisi-Urheilijat | 1964 | |
IFK Hedemora | 1965 | |
Tampereen Kilpa-Veljet | 1966 | |
Ankkuri fishing strap | 1973 | |
Alavuden Urheilijat | 1975 | |
Gustavsbergs IF | 1976 | |
Tampereen Yritys | 1977 | |
Järvenpään Palo | 1978 | |
Lyn Oslo | 1979 | |
Hiidenkiertäjät | 1987 | |
IK Hakarpspojkarna | 1992 | |
delta | 2008 | |
Kristiansand OK | 2009 |
statistics
- Most teams at the start: 1685; 2012
- Most teams finish: 1378; 2012
- Most wins: 8 wins; Helsingin Suunnistajat
- Most wins in a row: 3 wins; Tampereen Pyrintö, 1961 to 1963 and Kalevan Rasti, 2012 to 2014
- Biggest advantage: 2:08:27 h; Helsingin Suunnistajat before IF Kraft, 1956
- Smallest advantage: 0:01 min; Bækkelagets SK in front of Kalevan Rasti, 2002
- Highest winning time: 13:09:12 h; Helsingin Suunnistajat, 1956
- Lowest winning time: 6:51:10 h; Kalevan Rasti, 2004
Venla winner list
Most successful clubs
society | Victories | |
---|---|---|
Halden SK | 1986, 1988, 1990, 2012 | |
Tampereen Pyrintö | 1994, 1999, 2003, 2010 | |
Ulricehamns OK | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 | |
Bækkelagets SK | 1981, 1996, 1997 | |
Stora Tuna IK | 1982, 1984, 1985 | |
Liedon Parma | 1995, 2000, 2001 | |
Kalevan Rasti | 1979, 1992 | |
Domnarvets GoIF | 2008, 2011 | |
OK Pan Aarhus | 2013, 2014 | |
Sippurasti | 1978 | |
Hiidenkiertäjät | 1980 | |
Almby IK | 1983 | |
OK Hedstrommen | 1987 | |
Helsingin NMKY | 1989 | |
IFK Södertälje | 1991 | |
Rastikar hat | 1993 | |
Ankkuri fishing strap | 1998 | |
Turun Suunnistajat | 2002 | |
Asikkalan Raikas | 2007 |
Youth Jukola ("Nuorten Jukola")
Since 1986 there has been a special season for young people between 10 and 18 years: the Nuorten Jukola. This season takes place every year in August and consists of seven sections for both girls and boys.