PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
In a first, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)-recognised ‘Orienteering’ event was organised at Maharana Pratap Singh Sports College in Dehradun. Students from local schools and colleges participated in this tournament hosted under the joint aegis of Dehradun Orienteering Club and the national body Orienteering Sports Federation.
The event was attended by noted sports personalities led by the president of the Orienteering Sports Federation and grandson of the hockey wizard, late Dhyanchand, Gaurav Dhyanchand.
Explaining Orienteering, the Dehradun Orienteering Club president Girtar Singh Sanga said that it is a globally popular sport that combines mental and physical abilities. “It is also known as ‘running chess’. Players (navigators) are given a special map and a compass of an unfamiliar area or terrain. This sport not only improves physical fitness but also strengthens quick decision-making and mental concentration,” he informed and added that the main objective of this championship is to promote navigation, team building and sportsmanship among the youth of Uttarakhand.
