About Us
MOV History – Meeting Orientamento Venezia
Genesis and Early Years
The Meeting Orientamento Venezia was born in the 1970s as a pioneering idea in the Italian urban orienteering landscape. From an official document it emerges that:
"In the 1970s the Italian orienteering movement was in its infancy and had very little international experience. When the Swede Peo Bengtsson, founder of World-Wide Orienteering Promotion, said it would be evocative to run in Venice, the reaction was lukewarm".
The first official edition was held on November 11, 1980, thanks to the commitment of three protagonists: Benito Cavini, Alfredo Sartori and Carlo Alberto Valer. That day 108 competitors lined up at the start on three courses; the Swede Kjell Lauri won, and the first Italian athlete arrived in 25th position (Alois Lantschner).
The preparatory work was decidedly "artisanal": the managers went around Venice looking for tourist maps, bought maps with names and tourist indications, then reworked them to obtain a "mutated" map suitable for orienteering. Municipal authorization was obtained only after long negotiations: the Tourism Assessor found the idea fascinating but did not fully understand the new sport.
The Venetian urban context (bridges, canals, alleys, piers) revealed its uniqueness from the outset: urban orienteering was a different adventure compared to the traditional forest. Participants had to maneuver in narrow and touristy spaces, among boats and urban scaffolding, making the event memorable for everyone.
Development and Organizational Transition
In the following years, the MOV grew steadily. A turning point came in 1991, when the Italian Orienteering Sports Federation (FISO) – which had managed the Meeting until then – handed over to a local Venetian committee to guarantee the continuity of the event.
In that edition (the XII) there were already 1,780 participants, 149 clubs, 12 represented nations and about 50 people in the organization.
The transition marked a phase of greater territorial rooting: the local committee was able to better coordinate logistics, permits, relations with citizens and Venetian institutions. Over time the maps and cartography became more professional, the signage and checks more precise.
International Expansion and Record Numbers
With the new organizational structure, the MOV opened up more to internationality. In 2011, for example, the XXXII edition recorded over 4,600 athletes in a single day and the participation of athletes from about 40 nations.
The event gained international visibility because it offered something unique: orienteering between alleys, bridges and canals, in a UNESCO World Heritage city. Many participants were attracted not only by the sporting competition, but by the possibility of experiencing Venice in a different way.
In 2024 the XXXIX edition of the Meeting arrived. According to the FISO website, that year about 1,000 participants from 26 nations were expected, with athletes coming from Germany, Czech Republic, France, United Kingdom, United States and Costa Rica.
Methods, Innovations and Current Organization
The MOV has been able to innovate while maintaining tradition. Among the salient aspects:
- The races often span two days: a night race on Saturday and a morning race on Sunday. For example for 2024: Saturday November 9 night race at 7 PM and Sunday November 10 race from 9 AM.
- The routes are designed in different areas of the lagoon: the race covers different areas of the city, allowing athletes to "explore" Venice in its many facets.
- The organization involves volunteers and complex logistical support: the movement of materials (maps, lanterns, equipment) often takes place partly by boat, given the city's conformation.
The current organizing committee carries out multilingual communication, takes care of international participation, defines rules dedicated to athletes in crowded cities (for example route management in tourist areas) and uses modern timing technologies.
The composition of the organizing committee (at least from official source) sees: Federico Bruni (President), Sandro Gallo (Vice President), Alessio Sabbadini (Secretary) and other collaborators.
The Sporting, Cultural and Territorial Value
The Meeting Orientamento Venezia represents much more than a race: it is a meeting between sport and territory, a bridge between international athletes and the lagoon city. The charm derives from this combination:
Sporting: urban orienteering requires speed of reading, decision-making, adaptation to an unusual environment for this discipline (alleys, water, bridges). As noted in articles, the race is "a technical and spectacular challenge" even for athletes accustomed to forests.
Cultural/Touristic: by participating, athletes experience Venice in an unconventional way, far from traditional tourist circuits. The maps cross districts, islands (such as Murano, Burano) and less frequented corners.
Territorial/Organizational: it is an event that requires synergy with local institutions, with the city's needs (neighbors, tourist traffic, waterways), and that brings benefits to the Venetian territory's image as well. The collaboration with the Municipality, with sponsors and with local orienteering clubs testifies to this value.
The Protagonists and Volunteering
In the history of the MOV, alongside athletes, great protagonists are organizers, cartographers, volunteers. In the first 1980 edition, Cavini, Sartori and Valer tested "walking all day" to verify the maps and obtained municipal authorization.
Even today dozens of volunteers work on the event days: they prepare start and finish, transport materials even by boat, signal routes, manage services. The result is an organization that "moves with the precision of a Swiss watch", as a document states.
Challenges and the Future
Organizing an urban orienteering race in a city like Venice involves specific challenges: strong tourist influx, presence of boats/piers, narrow alleys, environmental and municipal restrictions. The organizing committee in 2024 declared:
"Venice appeals to everyone and we need to find a compromise to be able to run and do orienteering in the city".
The event looks to the future focusing on innovation (real-time, technologies, digital communication), sustainability (respect for urban heritage and the lagoon) and international growth, while maintaining its original identity: offering a unique experience to orienteers from all over the world.
Collaborating Clubs
The following Venetian clubs collaborate with the organization:
- A.S.D. Polisportiva Bissuola
- A.S.D. Orienteering G. Galilei
- A.S.D. Orienteering Laguna Nord Venezia
- A.S.S. Orienteering Malipiero Marcon
- Orienteering Swallows Noale A.S.D