Announcement

Orienteering Canada has awarded the 2028 Canadian Orienteering Festival, including the North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC), to the Foothills Orienteering Club (FWOC). FWOC has a strong track record of delivering high-quality orienteering events, supported by experienced volunteers, excellent terrain, and an engaged orienteering community in the Calgary region.

Orienteering Canada wishes to be clear about its values. Recent legislative requirements in Alberta related to transgender and gender-diverse individuals in sport are concerning and do not align with Orienteering Canada’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and the safety and dignity of all participants in our sport.

Orienteering Canada believes that sport should be welcoming and accessible to everyone. In awarding the 2028 Canadian Orienteering Festival to FWOC, we are not endorsing or minimizing the impact of these provincial policies. Rather, we are choosing to proceed in order to maintain national and international-level orienteering opportunities while continuing to affirm our commitment to inclusion and respect for all participants.

In the lead-up to the 2028 Canadian Orienteering Festival, Orienteering Canada will continue to monitor the legislative environment and work collaboratively with the Foothills Orienteering Club and provincial partners as event planning progresses.

Within the applicable regulatory and funding frameworks in Alberta, Orienteering Canada remains committed to upholding its inclusion, equity, and Safe Sport principles. We will work closely with the organizing team to ensure the event environment is welcoming, respectful, and as inclusive as possible for all participants, including transgender and gender-diverse athletes.

Orienteering Canada recognizes that legislative and policy environments can change. We remain hopeful that by 2028 the current laws and guidelines affecting transgender and gender-diverse individuals will no longer be in place. Orienteering Canada will continue to engage thoughtfully and transparently as circumstances evolve, guided by our values and our responsibility to the orienteering community.